Miraculously Yours
by nerdlife4eva
Summary: As her wedding to Adrien approaches, Marinette feels a sense of unsettled uncertainty growing. Adrien admits that he wishes his mom was there and it starts Marinette on a mission to make it happen. With a reunion and some unexpected twists, Marinette is left to wonder if her luck has finally run out.
1. Chapter 1

**The prequel to this fic is called "The Last Date' and can be found on my profile (it is also complete). I also have a longer ML fic called "Better Together" (currently at 21/30 chapters).**

 **This was my contribution to the Miraculous Ladybug Big Bang 2017 and the art was created by the wonderful dontcallmebugaboo on Tumblr!**

 **I hope you enjoy this continuation!**

* * *

"Spring is for lovers!"

Adrien smirked, leaning back against a tree and snickering when Marinette elbowed him in the side. Their wedding planner had been spouting sappy lines like that for the entire afternoon, leading the way around their wedding venue with a wealth of romantic one-liners. If he had been dressed as Chat Noir he probably would have taken the opportunity to respond with clever puns, but he was in his civilian form and thus living up to all the politeness that came with the Agreste name by restraining himself to winking at his adorable fiancé.

The bark of the tree was rough on his back and Adrien adjusted himself against the rigid bumps as he crossed his arms over his chest. They were on the third walkthrough of the lush green grounds and Adrien paused against the tree to take a step away from the exuberance of their parents and their overly excitable wedding planner.

It had taken a year's worth of arguments to decide on their location. In that time his father had placed no less than nine deposits on potential venues, managing to aggressively negotiate the refund from every location once they had finally come to an agreement. The outdoor venue at Rapunzels Folie provided the intimate setting that Marinette had desperately wanted, while appeasing Adrien's father's need to spend a remarkable amount of money on the occasion and having the isolation which would ease the security nightmare presented by an Agreste wedding. The paparazzi had already wormed their way into photographs at their engagement party and Marinette's bridal shower, and Gabriel was determined to keep them at bay for the main wedding event.

Adrien snickered again, shaking his head as he kicked at the ground remembering his father's elaborate plan to transport guests to the venue. The secrecy felt appropriate and normal, given the way Adrien spent half of his life behind a mask. It wasn't like his father knew that though, and Adrien couldn't help another quirk of his lips. Six years he had managed to slip in and out of his bedroom window, haunting Paris under the cover of a black mask while his father remained blissfully unaware. When their relationship was at its worst Adrien had relished in his secret, a dig toward his father's incessant need to hide Adrien away from the world.

Now that their relationship had begun to heal, a process significantly jump started by Adrien's proposal to Marinette, Adrien had found himself craving to tell his father about his alter ego. He had found himself almost slipping over dinner once when his father had been excitedly discussing the production of their wedding party's attire and pondering the bizarre, yet fashionable color scheme. Black with green accents for the men, red with black accents for the women. Gabriel had commented that it felt familiar in some way, but couldn't place how and Adrien had nearly told him, barely containing his secret as he bit down on his roasted pork to keep it from spilling out.

There had been other times too. Standing in the fitting room next to his father in matching suits as the tailor made adjustments to their jackets and pants. That moment had made the wedding feel like a reality and when Gabriel had placed his hands on Adrien's shoulders, smiling with a hint of tears in his eyes, Adrien had almost told his father about every hidden piece of his life. He wanted his father to be proud of all of him, but the words had caught in his throat, drying out and fizzling away as Gabriel stepped back to allow the seamstress to finish her work.

Closing his eyes, Adrien let his head fall back against the tree, sighing as the spring breeze swept over his cheeks. The sounds of their parents chattering away with the wedding planner fell away as he focused on the rustle of the leaves and the lapping of the slow-moving stream against the rocks. Thoughts of his father had opened up the beginnings of thoughts about his mother, and Adrien was determined to keep those thoughts at bay. It had been hard enough dealing with all of his father's unexpected enthusiasm, and he didn't need to let the nagging thoughts about his missing parental figure trickle in. Emotion started filling his chest, and he concentrated on the soothing sounds around him to try to push it away.

Marinette watched as the emotions rippled through her fiancé. He had always been a wonderfully complicated man, even during their early years of friendship when he had tried to hide behind masks of model behavior and bad puns. She had loved the outer image of him in a childish way, but the deepest parts of him, the ones that encompassed all of the hurt and confusion along with the silliness and empathy, were what she had really fallen in love with. Adrien Agreste, the boy who loved to laugh was a man who also sometimes needed to cry, and Marinette felt lucky that she was the one to be there for all of it.

Still, Adrien's current swing of emotions was alarmingly fast-paced, even for him. He had been cheerful on the car ride to the venue, laughing as he described the gold plates his father had tried to order for their reception and the shock on his father's face when he had suggested they use plastic ones instead. Adrien had made a game of teasing his father about every aspect of the wedding, and Marinette had laughed until her sides hurt with all his newest antics. Secretly, she knew that Adrien loved his father's involvement, but he also carried a small hint of bitterness regarding it. Five years of misunderstanding couldn't be reversed with one event, so Marinette gave Adrien his space to handle his feelings in any way he chose. She stepped in when those decisions bordered on destructive, but otherwise she let her fiancé have his fun.

The solemn look on his face now conveyed anything but the light-hearted joking of the earlier hours of the day. Even behind his closed eyelids, Marinette could tell that sadness had settled upon his shoulders. Wordlessly, she wrapped her arms around his waist leaning her chest against his and tipping her face up with her chin resting on his sternum. She chuckled remembering a time when their height difference wasn't nearly so great, and sighed when she felt his arms squeeze around her waist.

"Hi Bugaboo," Adrien smiled, pecking a kiss to her nose as he pulled her tighter to him. "You think they would care if we snuck off to make out?" He leaned down again, this time aiming for her lips, laughingly pouting when she pulled away.

"I don't even know if they would notice," Marinette giggled, dodging Adrien's second attempt for a more intimate kiss. Glancing over her shoulder, she lovingly rolled her eyes at the sight of her mom waving excitedly with the wedding planner and the dads loudly discussing the size of the wedding cake. The three parents got along surprisingly well, considering how different they were, and it made Marinette return to her contemplation about how Adrien's mom would have fit into this scenario. It was a thought she had kept to herself, not wanting to push Adrien on the topic unless he initiated it, but still let it dance in her mind anyway. Shaking her head, Marinette smiled at their ridiculous parents as Adrien began kissing at her neck. "Hey! Just because I don't think they notice doesn't mean I want to chance it!" She burst into a fit of giggles as he began blowing raspberries against her cheek.

"This is romantic," Adrien said, punctuating each kiss with a raspberry to Marinette's cheek. "I'm going to kiss you like this on the day of our wedding." He laughed against her cheek, feeling his heart lighten as she continued to giggle. Marinette was like magic, appearing whenever he needed her and washing away his sadness simply by existing. This had always been her strongest power, in and out of the red jumpsuit.

"You want our first kiss to sound like fart noises?" Marinette asked, feeling the rumble of Adrien's laughter in his chest. There were times that she would have prodded at him, asked him the questions needed to get him to talk about whatever dark fog had rolled into his mind. Standing against a tree with their parents bubbling with joy a mere fifty feet from them was definitely not the time for such conversation. Instead Marinette sneakily dropped her hands to Adrien's sides and squeezed, causing him to spasm from laughter as she mercilessly tickled his sides.

Their little wrestling match was interrupted when Marinette's father gave a shape whistle. Calming his laughter, Adrien threw his arm over Marinette's shoulder, turning to grin sheepishly at their parents. The Dupain-Cheng's looked amused and loving as they stood together, eyebrows raised at the engaged couple. His father, however, had a blank expression pasted on his face and Adrien immediately felt his mood drop. Letting go of Marinette's shoulder, he shoved his hands in his pockets, smiling softly as she wrapped a hand around his bicep. Falling in step with each other, they made their way back to the small group, ready to go over wedding details for the one millionth time.

* * *

"Do you ever think…" Adrien trailed off, resting his head against the driver's seat of his car while rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"That we should have eloped?" Marinette finished, opening her purse so that Tikki could fly out and join Plagg on their pillow in the back seat. Toeing off her shoes, she let her body slump against her own seat, shifting to face Adrien as he nodded.

"I love flowers and place settings as much as the next guy," Adrien chuckled when Marinette snorted, "but honestly, I'm ready to marry you, and I don't give a crud what color the napkins are." Opening his eyes, Adrien turned to face Marinette who smiled at him. She looked as tired as he felt and the overwhelming need to kiss her again had him leaning over the gear shift to pull her close.

"Can we please save the kissing for when we get home?" Plagg whined from the back seat, pretending to faint as Tikki giggled into her hands. "And by home, I mean Marinette's home, because I want ten different types of cheese to make up for all the cheesiness I have endured today!" Sighing, Plagg sagged heavier onto Tikki's lap as the humans broke apart to laugh.

"Your house?" Adrien asked, tugging on the end of Marinette's ponytail as he settled back into his seat. His body was already beginning to calm as he turned the car on, listening to her hum in agreement as he backed the car away from the place where they would be married in less than two weeks.

"Thirteen days," Marinette sighed, almost as if she was responding directly to his thoughts. "I can't believe we have thirteen days until you are officially stuck with me forever." She laughed when Adrien poked her in the cheek, glancing at him and sticking out her tongue.

"Being stuck with you…" Adrien smiled, lacing his fingers with hers as he leaned sideways for another kiss, "that sounds perfect to me." With the windows down and the hopeful scent of spring dancing in the air, they headed back toward the city of Paris.

* * *

Marinette's parents had long ago given up pretending that they didn't know Chat Noir was the same person as Marinette's darling fiancé. The conversation had been hilarious, born of Tom finding Chat Noir lurking in the kitchen at two in the morning after Marinette and Adrien had returned from Italy happily engaged. Tom had pretended to let Chat Noir down with the information, asking that he please not ruin his daughter's happiness by continuing to try to seduce Marinette. Under his mask, Adrien had turned sixteen shades of red, becoming increasingly confused when Tom burst into hysterics and Sabine rounded the kitchen corner with her phone out to record the conversation.

Standing in the kitchen, Marinette joining them after stumbling down the stairs in confusion, Tom and Sabine had revealed that they had known their secret identities since Marinette's seventeenth birthday. The coincidence of Marinette and Adrien becoming a couple, and the obvious change in Ladybug's and Chat Noir's relationship, had not been lost on them. Together they had laughed over mugs of hot chocolate and day-old pastries, as Tom and Sabine explained all the ways in which neither hero had ever been slick in hiding their identities.

After that conversation, there had been a much more awkward conversation about their plans leading up to the wedding. Marinette nor Adrien had planned to move from their parents' homes until after their marriage was official, but Adrien had taken to spending quite a few unannounced nights in Marinette's bedroom, under the disguise of his superhero alter ego. When the offer had come for Adrien to move in, taking up residence in Marinette's bedroom for the remainder of the year until they were married, he had paused to consider the option. The Dupain-Cheng household had always felt like home to him and he loved being a part of their family, but in the end, he knew that he needed to repair the foundation of his own family first.

Despite his ultimate decision not to move in, the open-door policy remained in effect and Adrien had never returned to feeling like a guest. He helped cooked meals and did dishes, and on the nights he stayed with Marinette, he made sure that every one of his actions was respectful. They had forever to be together, and he didn't want to risk his found family by pushing those boundaries.

The drive from their venue had been confounded by Paris city traffic and both of them were worn out and grumpy as their made their way up to Marinette's bedroom to collapse across her bed. Sleepily, Adrien waved a hand at Plagg and Tikki as they flew off toward the sound of Sabine's voice offering treats. The best part about Marinette's parents knowing about their identities was that the kwamis were free to move about the house as they pleased, a welcome break for Plagg from the secretive confines of Adrien's own room.

"So… tired…" Adrien whined, tucking Marinette into his side as his head flopped back onto the pillow. His head had been going a mile a minute during their drive, and he could feel the weight of his thoughts pulling him toward sleep.

Resting her chin on Adrien's chest, Marinette studied his face. There were dark circles under his eyes and his cheeks were less rosy in the dimming light of her room. She always worried when he looked so exhausted, and decided that it was time to encourage him to talk. If she could get him to discuss whatever foul thoughts were souring in his mind, maybe he would finally be able to rest. Poking him in the cheek, she waited until he opened one eye to peer at her to speak. "Your head has been busy today," she spoke softly, running her fingers across his cheek, "want to fill me in?" His chest heaved with a sigh, causing her head to bounce and they both chuckled with the movement. As his fingers began to skate slow circles over her back, Marinette turned to press her cheek to his heart.

"My mom," said Adrien, not really a whisper or a question, but more of an all-encompassing forlorn statement that seemed to summarize everything in his mind. "I wish she was here. I always imagined her being here." His eyes were closed as he spoke, the image of his mother floating in his mind. The very last time he had seen her she had kissed him goodnight in the hallway outside of his room. By morning she was gone, and Adrien had no answers beyond that. His father still talked about her as if she was somewhere in the world, but Adrien had long ago given up hope that she was alive. "If she was alive," he spoke out loud, knowing that his sentences were only connecting in his mind, "she would want to be here. I know she would."

Nodding, Marinette lifted her head again to respond, finding that Adrien had drifted off to sleep on his last word. Reaching up to kiss him on the cheek, Marinette carefully eased out of the bed and tucked the covers over his chest.

Snagging her laptop from her desk, Marinette quietly slipped out onto the balcony, dropping onto her lounge chair and quickly opening up her computer.

If Lavande Agreste was still alive, Marinette was determined to find her.


	2. Chapter 2

Alya sat twirling her spoon into a warm cup of flavored coffee, staring out the window awaiting the arrival of her perpetually late best friend. Marinette had scheduled their time to meet, and had even followed up by text to ensure that Alya would be there. Still, Marinette was delayed by fifteen minutes and counting, making Alya smirk into her coffee. There was a bet as to how late Marinette would be on the day of her own wedding, and with every passing minute, Alya became more confident of her own prediction.

Twelve days stood between her best friends and their permanent commitment to each other. The dresses were finished, the flowers had been ordered, and Alya knew that Marinette's father was excitedly editing the wedding cake's design with every free moment. The night would be beautiful, and Alya couldn't wait to be a part of it. They both deserved so much happiness, and her smile spread as she imagined what life would have in store for them. She was so lost in her own thoughts, she failed to notice Marinette storming into the café until a large folder was crashing on the table in front of her.

"What in the-" Alya stared at her frazzled, but triumphant friend with puzzled confusion. There were corners of papers peeking out from the edge of the folder and Alya spied an alarming number of post-it notes with Marinette's careful handwritten notes. Whatever was in the folder, Marinette had spent an enormous amount of time printing and organizing it.

"I have been doing research," Marinette slid into the opposite seat, leaning forward with both of her elbows pressed to the cool surface of the table. "Ever heard of the dark web?"

"I'm sorry?" Alya gawked across the table, hand hovering over the red folder. Marinette looked wild eyed and frantic, but her tone was calm and the contrast was incredibly startling. Alya continued to hesitate to open the folder of crazy while staring at Marinette waiting for clarification.

"The dark web," Marinette flicked her hair over her shoulder before bringing her upper body further over the table. "There is a lot of information there."

"Oh," Alya shook her head chuckling, "I know about the dark web. But how is it that a woman who still can't work voicemail has found herself doing research on the dark web?"

Marinette grinned, flipping open the folder. "Motivation," she snagged the top sheet of paper and flipped it toward Alya. "Who needs a bachelorette party, when there is a potential rescue mission to complete?"

Hands delicately holding the edges of the paper, Alya stared at a name that no one had dared to mention in years. Cautiously, Alya laid the paper face down on the table and moved onto the next one. "Mari, girl, what are you up to?" There was information dating back to a time before they were born, news articles with Gabriel and Lavande Agreste smiling in front of their brand new studio. That building would later be sold and the Agreste fashion empire would be moved into the large building which now housed its own production line and more designers than Alya could identify. Brows furrowing in concentration, Alya continued to read as Marinette stood up to place an order for coffee.

Bouncing on her toes, Marinette quickly ordered, thanking the barista and stepping back to wait on her drink. She glanced at Alya, laughing a bit as her best friend appeared to be mumbling under her breath.

It had been less than twenty-four hours since Marinette had begun her search for Lavande Agreste, aided by nothing else other than a few hunches and small clues that she had picked up from rumors working at the Agreste family business. Designers were gossips by nature, and Marinette had heard theories of all varieties, including Lavande being kidnapped and ransomed to her triumphant escape with a runaway lover from Gabriel's abuse. Neither theory had made much sense to Marinette, but she had started searching news from the days surrounding Mrs. Agreste's disappearance and had quickly found herself digging in parts of the web she didn't know existed.

As the sun rose over Paris, Marinette discovered her most valuable information. Sources stated that the day before Mrs. Agreste disappeared, she had been in an argument with her husband, a disagreement regarding a jewelry line. The source claimed that Lavande had called Gabriel misguided and foolish, before storming from the building with offhanded comments about always having Italy. After that no one ever heard from Lavande Agreste again. It was a disjointed account of a seemingly random occurrence, but it had stuck in Marinette's mind and fueled her to change direction in her search.

The argument seemed odd, and the source was anonymous which had elevated Marinette's curiosity. With every click she discovered a new piece to the still incomplete puzzle, and believed that she might have an idea where they could find Adrien's mom. If the information she had carefully categorized and collected was correct, there was a chance that Lavande was still alive. Smiling at the girl who handed her coffee over the counter, Marinette weaved her way back to Alya, sliding into the seat as her best friend returned to gawking at her.

"This is…" Alya wasn't sure what words she was looking for, and shook her head at a loss for all of them. "You time-lined their entire relationship, but Mari, none of this looks like it was collected from the darkest parts of the internet. All of this looks like public record." It was a little shocking to see the entire failed scope of Adrien's parents' marriage laid out in front of her, and definitely more shocking that Marinette had managed to dig up old witness information from the time of Mrs. Agreste's disappearance, but none of the information was beyond what Alya could have acquired had she decided to conduct the same search. In fact, she was positive that she would be able to find even more.

Leaning over the table, Marinette pinched the bottom two stacks of papers pulling them free of the rest of the pile. Placing one face down in front of her, Marinette handed the other to Alya. "This is where I think Lavande Agreste is being held." Sitting back, Marinette watched Alya waiting for follow up questions.

The picture was of a square house hidden amongst a group of tall trees without a single sign as to neighbors or any other life at all. Flipping to the second page in the packet, Alya made a face and looked up at Marinette with a raised eyebrow. "I don't get it," she shrugged her shoulders, tapping the page with her finger. "What does a peacock have to do with Adrien's mom? And why would someone named the peacock be allowed to own a property? This makes no sense." Dropping the packet onto the table, Alya grabbed her drink and took a swig. She nearly choked as Marinette tossed the other packet in front of her.

A colored printout with a date in the 1980's had Alya dribbling her drink down her chin. Standing proud, in what was obviously Italy based on the landmarks in the backdrop, were two masked figures, one beautiful and elegant in blue while the second one looked familiar for a number of concerning reasons. Gingerly lifting the picture, Alya gasped in shock, shooting a look toward Marinette who was looking smug as she sipped her own drink. "This isn't…?" Alya started to ask, eyes squinting at the page as if the figures were suddenly going to start answering her questions.

"It explains why Hawkmoth hasn't been around in the last year, I think. Maybe because he is sort of happy now?" Marinette sat forward lowering her voice. "I've only seen pictures of Lavande, but that has to be her. Look at the two of them, they are in love, and they are definitely superheroes."

"So Gabriel Agreste is…" Alya paused, lowering her own voice, "Hawkmoth. Holy shi-"

"Agreed," Marinette waved her hand cutting off Alya's curse, "and Adrien's mom was also or is a miraculous holder as well. Maybe that's why she got captured. Or left. Or whatever happened. All I know is that house is in Italy, and that's where we are going." Determined, Marinette sat back, crossing her arms over her chest and stared at her best friend. The idea sounded perfectly crazy when spoken out loud, and yet somehow Marinette didn't feel scared. Even if it ended up being a dead end, she would at least know that she tried to bring Adrien's family back together.

"Okay, well I admire your moxy and all, there are a few flaws to this idea," Alya carefully stacked the papers back into Marinette's folder. "First, you have no idea if this picture is them. I'm not going to fight you that it might be, but there is no way to know for sure." Pausing in her argument, Alya eyed Marinette as she leaned over the table and flipped the picture over. The second picture in the stack had Alya once again staring across the table in disbelief.

Three friends sat around an outdoor table, empty plates and coffee mugs scattered across a table as they smiled at the camera. Gabriel Agreste was young and his smile held none of the reserved judgment that he was known for. Next to him was a beautiful blond women, smile brighter than the sun with one hand resting over Gabriel's and the other laying on top of her very pregnant stomach.

On the other side of Gabriel Agreste sat Master Fu, leaning into the picture with Gabriel's arm looped over his shoulders.

"Is your goal to make me cuss?" Alya asked, eyes focused on the picture as she carefully lined the first and second pictures up next to each other. Similar landmarks appeared in both pictures and the smiles on Mr. and Mrs. Agreste were near perfect matches to the smiles on the faces of the masked heroes. Finally letting her stream of curses escape, Alya flopped back in her seat, pushing her glasses up to rub at her eyes.

Slowly, Marinette gathered the papers, placing them back in the folder in their original order. Alya had barely scraped the surface of the information Marinette had gathered, but Marinette was positive Alya would be on board with her plan. Quietly she sipped her coffee, giving Alya time to wrap her head around the information.

"So… Italy?" Bracing her hands on the edge of the table, Alya raised an eyebrow in Marinette's direction. "How and when?" It was crazy that she was going to follow Marinette blindly into this undefined and inevitably insane plan, but she had followed Marinette as her best friend and Ladybug as her partner into far weirder situations. The distance was usually within the confines of their city, but Alya figured it was about time they took their skills to a greater level. Letting the smile start to creep over her face, Alya met Marinette's gaze.

"Well, the how depends on whether Gabriel Agreste is willing to help us, and the when is hopefully Saturday. I need Adrien out of the house today, any ideas?" Marinette had tried to convince Adrien to run some last-minute errands, but Nathalie had overheard their conversation and immediately jumped at the opportunity to help with more wedding details. She had been surprisingly helpful over the last few weeks, and Marinette couldn't find a good excuse to say no. That had left Adrien to sit idly in his house, and that simply couldn't happen if Marinette was going to have this particular conversation with his father.

"Talk to his father at work?" Alya tossed out, flipping her hand in the air as if the answer was obvious.

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Gabriel is working from home for the entire three weeks leading up to the wedding. He won't even let me work! I have been banned from my internship until after the honeymoon." It was a sweet gesture, both Gabriel's time away from the office and his generous payment to Marinette for four weeks of forced vacation, but Marinette had very little to distract herself without the busy work hours. She almost wished she hadn't graduated school a semester early, simply so she could have something to fill her present free time.

Laughing, Alya pulled her phone from her bag. "I have heard of Monsters of the Bride, but Frankenstein of the Groom is a new one!" Winking at Marinette, Alya put her phone to her ear and waited for her own boyfriend to pick up. The conversation took less than thirty seconds as Alya convinced Nino to drag Adrien from the house to plan his bachelor party. "Done and done," Alya dropped her phone back into her purse, "now he is out of the house and if we get the green light, Adrien will be occupied on Saturday as well." Proud of her own cleverness, Alya smiled again at Marinette.

"They aren't going to… you know… go…" Marinette blushed trying to get the words out. Adrien had barely seen her in any state of undress, the thought that he might see another woman or more in that state was making her feel a little weird.

Alya burst out laughing. "No, girl, are you kidding? Nino started excitedly talking about a Call of Duty tournament and something about Cards Against Humanity. Trust me, this will be the nerdiest bachelor party of all time."

Joining in Alya's laughter, Marinette leaned forward to recollect her file. She should have known that Nino would be tailor an entire night to Adrien's tastes, and Adrien's tastes were certainly on the dorky side of fun. Feeling the relief sinking into her stomach, Marinette stood from the table and waited for Alya to do the same.

"Want me to come with you?" Alya asked, pushing the door to the café open and holding it open as Marinette followed her out.

"Thanks, but… I think I should do this one on my own. He is about to be my father-in-law, at some point I have to learn to talk to him without stuttering." She laughed when Alya shoved her shoulder, stumbling slightly when Alya pulled her back into a hug. The nerves were dancing in her stomach as she said her goodbyes, but Marinette steeled herself for her next conversation. Although it wouldn't be easy to convince Gabriel Agreste that his wife was possibly still alive, Marinette knew she owed it to Adrien's happiness to try. Clutching her folder tightly to her chest, she set off down the street only looking back when Alya shouted good luck wishes from behind her.

* * *

At some point in the last few years the vast walls of his childhood bedroom had begun to feel as if they were closing in on him. His freedom had significantly increased once he had moved on to university, but his father had insisted he continue to live at home because of his rigorous modeling schedule. Over the past year Adrien had finally decided that this was an excuse. He could have followed a schedule, even in a shared apartment with Nino, but what he couldn't do was have daily meals with his father or late-night discussions about an assortment of wedding details that Adrien barely cared about. Adrien had finally realized over the past twelve months that his father was lonely and still grieving, and there was nothing Adrien wouldn't do to try to help his father move on.

Including, apparently, let his father make the majority of the decisions surrounding his wedding. Other than his friends and the few members of Marinette's family who he had met over the years, Adrien barely recognized anyone on the wedding guest list. He didn't know the differences between the flowers in the bouquets and centerpieces and he certainly didn't care about chair colors and table heights. He and Marinette had made a list of the few things they absolutely wanted, and then had stepped back and let the parents have their fun. Adrien knew the food would be great, the DJ would be amazing, and in less than two weeks he would get to marry his soulmate. The rest of the details simply didn't matter to him.

Glancing over at Plagg who was snoring loudly from the depths of his pillow, highlighted by the early afternoon sun, Adrien contemplated whether to wake his buddy up to entertain him or let Plagg continue to sleep off his exhaustion. Adrien had no idea what Plagg and Tikki did during their nights at Marinette's, but Plagg always took long naps on the subsequent day. He had meant to ask Plagg on more than one occasion about his relationship with Tikki, but he had never seemed to get up the courage. He figured he would find out soon enough once they all moved in together. Letting the daydream of a small house on the outskirts of Paris form in his mind, Adrien jumped when his phone rang, grumpily snatching it from the couch as his imagination fizzled out.

"Adriennn!" Nino shouted into the phone making Adrien chuckle. Nino hadn't changed over the years, still the energetic, supportive, and hilarious best friend who Adrien had been lucky enough to sit next to on his first day in a real school.

Adrien had often thought about what his life would be like without Nino, and he shuddered at the thought once again as he mocked Nino's greeting. "NINOOO!" he excitedly shouted, accidentally waking Plagg who made a rude gesture in Adrien's direction. "What's up, buddy?"

"Official best man stuff, ya know," Nino spoke in the same tone he always had, and Adrien smiled at the comfort it brought him. "How 'bout some lunch and you and me talk about your bachelor party? I told everyone it would be Saturday, but didn't tell them what we're doing, and I can't brain storm without food."

Plagg appeared in front of Adrien's face, a scowl paired with tiny black hands on his hips. "Go away and let me nap!" his kwami snapped in a whisper, flicking Adrien on the nose before flying back to curl angrily on his pillow. Green eyes glared at him as Adrien rolled his eyes, continuing to let Nino babble out the details of their lunch meeting. Promising Nino he would leave immediately, Adrien ended the call and stood from the couch.

"You going to be okay without me?" He asked Plagg, who hissed grumpily from his spot in the sun. There hadn't been an akuma in Paris in over a year, and for several months, Adrien had been leaving the house periodically without Plagg in tow. He knew Marinette never left Tikki behind, but Plagg seemed to like the space and Adrien was happy to give it to him. When Plagg hissed his displeasure with Adrien's lingering, he rolled his eyes and stepped over to his desk. Despite Plagg's snarky attitude, Adrien took the time to fill a plate with cheese and place it next to Plagg's pillow. Taking a chance, he bent down and kissed Plagg on the head the way he had seen Marinette do so many times.

"Yuck kid," Plagg mumbled, rolling over onto his other side. Adrien didn't miss the small smile on his kwami's face, and Adrien mirrored the look as he made his way out of his room and through the house to escape into the afternoon sun.

* * *

In the fifteen minutes it took Marinette to walk to Adrien's house, she had completely lost her nerve. Her hands were quaking where they were attempting to hold the red folder against her chest and her heart was hammering in her ears. She had felt the same way on the day that Mr. Agreste had interviewed her for her internship, and she distinctly remembered the smell of the coffee she spilled over his desk when she had attempted to shake his hand.

Unwilling to relive that horror and unable to let herself chicken out, Marinette ducked down and empty alley to release Tikki from her purse.

"Marinette," Tikki scolded gently, hovering in front of Marinette's face with a mildly judgmental look on her face. "You can do this alone." Moving closer, Tikki patted Marinette on the cheek. "You aren't fifteen anymore."

"I know…" Marinette trailed off, peering down at her shoes feeling far younger than her twenty-one years. In so many ways she had grown past all of her clumsy nervous adolescence, but when she was at her most nervous, all of those flaws returned with a vengeance. She couldn't take a chance at screwing this up, and looked at Tikki with pleading eyes. Seeing Tikki nod with quiet understanding, Marinette set her folder down and grinned as she yelled, "Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Gabriel's home office was even more intimidating that his corner office in the large building in downtown Paris. Ladybug preferred the large windows and minimal furniture in Gabriel's official office as there were less knick knacks for her to knock over when nervous. The view of the Paris skyline was also calming for her, a remainder that her city was safe because of the efforts of her team.

In contrast, Gabriel's home office had walls of deep brown panels, and an oversized desk of the same color. Unlike the other rooms in the house, Gabriel's office had only a few windows, giving it a closed off feel where the rest of the house felt overly open and full of echoes. This room felt out of place in comparison to every other part of the Agreste home, and Ladybug found herself unable to settle in a seat, opting to explore the contents of the bookshelves while she waited for Gabriel to arrive.

Perhaps it was the coward's way out to have this conversation with Adrien's dad while dressed as her alter ego. The persona of Ladybug was still more confident than the heart of Marinette, and in the end, as long as Gabriel agreed to help one of them, Ladybug decided it didn't matter. She needed a plane and room in Italy, along with a few answers regarding the house hidden in the sky-high trees. Hoping that Gabriel would be willing to listen, Ladybug absentmindedly plucked a book from the shelf and began to read.

The door to the office flew open as Gabriel stormed inside, ignoring Nathalie's warning that he had a guest. Stopping short, Gabriel slammed the door closed. "Marinette what are you doing here?"

The book hit the floor with a thud, Ladybug stunned at Gabriel's statement. Frozen in her spot, she watched helplessly as Gabriel crossed the room and retrieved the book from the floor.

"Romeo and Juliet?" Gabriel smirked, carefully slipping the book back into its place. "A favorite of yours?" His voice sounded nervous, as if he had finally processed his own words.

"No," Ladybug shook her head, still rooted to her spot as Gabriel continued to move around the room, "balcony scenes really aren't my thing." She heard him make a noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh and tried to let it fuel her to move her feet. Breathing deeply, she took a step forward and sank down on the edge of a seat. "How long have you known?"

"That my son's fiancé and Paris's favorite superhero were the same person?" Gabriel lowered himself into his high-backed desk chair as he spoke. "For far longer than you realize." He smiled, this time a little more genuine than Ladybug was used to seeing.

The smile reminded her of a picture, currently stowed in the red folder resting on her lap. Taking another shaky breath, Ladybug thumbed through the last few pages, withdrawing the picture of the masked heroes and slipping it onto Gabriel's desk. "In the name of transparency, since we are going to be family and all…" Ladybug let her thought fade as she watched Gabriel's cheeks turn an unfamiliar rose. "I was wondering where Hawkmoth went. My theory was that maybe something made him happy and that Paris was no longer needed to fulfill his anger at the world. When I found this picture, I felt certain I was right."

"You are an astounding young woman." The words were low and presented with an essence of awe instead of the threat that Ladybug had anticipated. "I suppose, you would like an apology. Or perhaps an explanation?" Barely lifting his head, Gabriel made eye contact with Ladybug over the desk. "Does our Adrien know?"

 _Our Adrien_ , Ladybug thought, feeling the words settle in her heart. There had been a time that Gabriel Agreste was terrified of sharing his son with the world in anything other than photo shopped pictures, and now here he was openly declaring that Adrien was also hers. The squeeze of her heart left her without the ability to speak, and she shook her head in the negative. She was immediately glad she hadn't shared the information with Adrien as she watched the relief spread over his father's face. "I don't want an explanation," she waved a hand, clearing her throat to relax away the squeakiness, "maybe someday, once you have had a chance to talk to Adrien, you can answer my questions. For now, though, I have a much more pressing need."

"Anything," Gabriel said, unclasping his hands to extend his arms to either side of him. "Your wish is my command. After all, you'll be my daughter too in only a few days."

There was a hitch in Gabriel's voice that had Ladybug's throat closing with the threat of tears. She hadn't known until that moment how important Gabriel's acceptance was to her, but it hit her harder than any akuma ever had. Smiling down at her hands, Ladybug swallowed a few times to catch her bearings. "The woman in that photo…" pointing at the picture once again grasped in Gabriel's hands, Ladybug waited until he looked up, "that's Adrien's mom, right?" She saw the small nod of his head and pressed on. "I think I know where she is."

The picture fluttered to the floor as Gabriel stared, stunned and unspeaking as he blinked at Ladybug. A full minute passed before either of them spoke, Gabriel finally breaking the silence with a simple word. "How?" His fists clenched over the desk as his stare became more intent on Ladybug's face.

"Research," Ladybug shrugged, not wanting to reveal to her boss and future father-in-law that she had been playing around in unsavory parts of the internet. "Is there any chance your plane could take me and Rena to Italy on Saturday?" The muscles twitching on the side of Gabriel's face made her sit back from the desk, silent prayers flowing through her mind as she waited for his answer.

"Tell me that time you want to leave, I will have it ready. I will have rooms waiting for your there as well. How long do you plan to be gone?" Gabriel was all action now, turning to his computer as he fingers flew over this keyboard.

Ladybug respected his sense of efficiency, stating her plans to the best of her ability and listening as Gabriel made phone calls to ensure that they would have everything they needed. During his second phone call, one that was reserving their rooms at the same hotel where the photoshoot had taken place the previous year, Gabriel bent to the floor to retrieve the dropped picture. With a fond smile on his face, he ran his fingertips over the dull image, answering the questions for the robotic representative on the other line as if he was on autopilot. The hope on Gabriel's face was hard to ignore and Ladybug could only hope that she didn't let him down.

"You're all set!" Gabriel announced proudly, clicking the phone back into place as the last details were cemented.

His eyes followed her as Ladybug stood up and nodded at him. "Thank you for everything," Ladybug smiled, nodding her head in Gabriel's direction, "I am not going to tell Adrien, but I think maybe you should. I will leave that in your hands though." With a final nod, Ladybug headed from the door to the office.

"Marinette…" The sound of her name sounded like a plea. "If you can't bring her back. If she won't come or it is too dangerous, please promise me one thing." Waiting with her hand on the doorknob, Ladybug held Gabriel's gaze as he spoke. "No matter what, promise me you'll come back to him. He'll never forgive me if you don't." A single tear ran down Gabriel's cheek, splashing onto the desk.

"I promise," Ladybug whispered, knowing that it was hollow. She had no idea what she was going to run into in Italy, and therefore could no sooner promise to keep herself safe than she could promise to bring home Lavande. She said the words though, knowing the Gabriel needed to hear them. Striding from the office, she let the guilt crash over her, knowing that if given a chance to only have one of them return safely, it would be Lavande that would be making the trip.

Jogging out of the front of the house, Ladybug uncurled her yo-yo and flung herself onto the nearest rooftop. The nerves were building inside of her, churning with the guilt of lying to both Agreste men, and she was ready to use the architecture of Paris to relieve some of her building stress. By the end of the week she would be on a plane to Italy, and she could only hope that she would be on the return flight along with her partner and Lavande Agreste. Knowing that none of it was certain, Ladybug swung herself over the city, praying that her luck would be enough to bring them all home safely.


	3. Chapter 3

Four a.m. had seemed like such a good idea when Ladybug had been sitting in Gabriel Agreste's office, shocked and caught off-guard by his willingness to help. Unfortunately that feeling was not the same as Marinette and Alya yawned sleepily in the back of the limo, both leaning against their significant others who had promptly fallen back to sleep as soon as the car had started moving.

They had told both Adrien and Nino that there was no reason to accompany them to the airport, but neither of them had listened, stumbling into the bakery before sunrise with murmured requests for coffee, sweets, and death. They had been an adorably disheveled sight, both of them strewn over the counter in their pathetic drowsiness. Once fed, they perked up long enough to carry the girls' suitcases out to the curb and climb wordlessly into the back of the limo where they promptly fell asleep. Marinette and Alya had exchanged amused smiles, before cuddling into the ridiculous boys and letting themselves drift off for a bit.

The sun still hadn't risen to greet the world when the car pulled to a stop next to the waiting plane. Unfolding themselves from their cuddled positions, all four of them poured out onto the tarmac. While the limo driver transferred the luggage to the airplane, they each took their turns saying goodbye.

"Don't have too much fun," Adrien joked, sleepily rubbing at his eyes in the way that made Marinette want to hand him a teddy bear and a warm glass of milk.

Sleepy Adrien was the most adorable Adrien who Marinette ever got to see, and she pushed up on her toes to peck a kiss to his nose. "We will be home tomorrow, and we are going to shop, eat and sleep in the absurdly huge suite your father reserved for us." She lifted her hands to run them through his messy hair, smiling at his current resemblance to Chat Noir.

"Two out of three of those sounds fun," said Adrien, his grogginess making his words sound slurred as he draped himself over Marinette. "Bring me something back?" he teased, reaching up to tug on the end of her left pigtail.

"Of course!" Marinette turned her face to kiss him loudly on the cheek. She felt the guilt of lying to him begin to creep back in and tried to shove it away. Even though every bit of their stated itinerary was true, Marinette had conveniently left out the bullet point that said "and rescue lost mother." Part of her wanted to tell Adrien the truth, but the largest part of her wanted to protect him in case she failed. Letting it go, Marinette gently cupped Adrien's cheeks and planted a kiss on his lips. "You have fun tonight too, okay? I know you have a host of plans, but please make sure that _you_ are having fun." Kissing him a few more times, Marinette released him when the pilot of the plane cleared his throat. Stealing one last kiss, she yelled over her shoulder that she would let him know when they arrived safely. Blowing a kiss over her shoulder, Marinette disappeared into the plane to throw herself down next to Alya.

"I was thinking…" Alya chewed on her bottom lip as a flight attendant set down a generous looking breakfast of fruit, pancakes and sausage. Plucking a sausage from the plate, Alya bit down on it before finishing her thought. "I'm thinking that this might be too big of a job for two of us. We could kind of use Chat Noir."

Enamored with the delicious nature of the food, Marinette didn't immediately look up. When her sleepy mind had properly processed Alya's comment, she nodded toward her best friend. "We won't be alone," Marinette tried to swallow the oversized bite of pancake she had shoved in her mouth. Gagging slightly, Marinette slapped her chest until the gagging was replaced by laughter. "Now that I have finished dying," Marinette joked, setting her fork next to her plate, "it isn't just us. I called in a reinforcement. One in particular who would very much like to be redeemed."

Eying her best friend thoughtfully, Alya settled back into her chair with her breakfast, attempting to mentally prepare herself for whatever chaos would befall them over the next twenty-four hours.

* * *

Adrien barely remembered the return limo ride to his house and was mildly shocked to find himself falling face first into his own bed. He remembered telling Nino that escorting the girls to the airport would be a romantic gesture, but decided, as he snuggled back into his pillow, that romance should really only occur after nine a.m. Letting his eyes drift closed, he began to doze with Nino's soft snores already filling the empty space of the room.

"Hey," Plagg whispered, pulling on Adrien's ear and making him groan. Grabbing the edges of his pillow, Adrien flipped it on top of his head to hide away from whatever cheese demands Plagg could possibly have this early in the morning. Huffing his frustration, Plagg dropped to the bed, squirming his way under the pillow and into Adrien's face. "I want to talk to you," he tried again, flicking Adrien's scrunched nose.

"Talk is for more reasonable hours of the day," groaned Adrien, shifting to smash his face into the mattress. "There is cheese on my desk, can whatever else please wait a few hours?" The last word was stifled by yawn which had Adrien's face stretching with its intensity. All he wanted to do was go back to sleep, but Plagg continued to stare at him, his green eyes a blinding light in the darkness under the pillow.

"I ate the cheese," Plagg shrugged, "and this is about more than cheese. This is about tonight. And me. I want to come to the party." Patting his tiny hands together, Plagg avoided Adrien's eye contact as Adrien slowly blinked his eyes open.

The change in Plagg's demeanor was not lost on Adrien and he tossed the pillow from his head, flipping over on his back in pouty admitted defeat. He waited until Plagg was settled on his chest, sitting cross-legged with his hands folded on his lap. "Of course you can come. Why couldn't you? It's mostly at Nino's apartment anyway." Adrien was still fuzzy on the timeline for their night, but he didn't really care what they did, Plagg was always welcome to be a part of it.

"Um, I appreciate that, kid, but…" Plagg tapped a finger against his chin as he considered Adrien, "I meant I want to come as a human and actually be a part of the action for once, instead of stowed away in your pocket like a cell phone." He flew off of Adrien's chest as Adrien sat bolt upright in the bed.

"Is that possible?" A part of him had always wondered if the kwamis could take human form, so much so that he had contemplated asking Plagg to be a part of his wedding party if the option existed. In the end, he had never asked, knowing that an answer in the negative would possibly set Plagg into a very bad mood. Having a grumpy Plagg in his head was his absolutely last desire.

Slowly nodding, Plagg lowered himself to Adrien's knee. "Fu has done it before, although never at anyone's request," worrying his lower lip with his fang, Plagg looked to be contemplating the thought. "The last time was because my holder was injured but the enemy was still waging a nasty war on the world. He transformed me and Tikki, allowing us to fight alongside her holder. The magic is complicated and can be a bit messy, but it's possible."

Despite still feeling viciously sleep deprived, Adrien could feel his excitement building. He always wondered what it would be like to see all of his best friends interacting, and having Plagg become a human, even for a short amount of time, would make that possibility a reality. Kicking his legs off the bed, Adrien shoved his feet back into his shoes and strode toward his bedroom door. Turning to look over his shoulder, Adrien waved a hand at Plagg. "Well, what are you waiting for?" he asked, opening his door carefully as to not wake Nino, "let's go get you some human legs."

"Is that a Little Mermaid reference, you nerd?" Plagg cackled, rushing to hide himself in Adrien's jacket pocket as Adrien closed the bedroom door behind them.

Chuckling, Adrien didn't answer, setting off at a jog as he headed for Master Fu's apartment.

* * *

Master Fu's loft had become another second home to Adrien over the years. The space was significantly larger than it appeared from the outside looking in, and Adrien had often wondered if there was some sort of magic at play in the layout of the rooms.

They had spent the most time in the largest room, an open space which had a mat covered floor to protect the training heroes from breaking their necks on the hardwood. It had been here that they had learned to fight without their miraculouses, with the exception of their fourth teammate who had disappeared before their identities had been revealed. Years had passed since any of them had heard from the Bee, and Adrien presumed that she had decided to permanently leave Paris without the courtesy of saying goodbye.

Pulling his mind back to the present, Adrien tipped his head as he listened to the conversation between Master Fu and Plagg. He watched Master Fu shake his head for the tenth time, as Plagg stomped his foot uselessly in midair. Taking a step forward, Adrien lifted a hand to pat Plagg's head, angering his frustrated kwami who snapped at his fingers. Learning to laugh at Plagg's snarly temper a long time ago, Adrien rolled his eyes with a smirk as he turned to address Master Fu. "Is there some risk involved in transformation? It would only be for one night, and I promise I wouldn't let him do anything stupid." Adrien instinctively dodged Plagg's attempt to kick his cheek. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Adrien rocked back on his heels and continued to peer at Master Fu's contemplative face. "Plagg and I have been partners for six years. He survived my teenage years," Adrien made a face at Plagg's under the breath comment about how annoying teenage Adrien was, "and even though he is a pain in the ass, Plagg is also my best friend. I really want him there tonight, and not as a pocket accessory." Jumping, Adrien looked down at his own cheek when Plagg nuzzled against him. They weren't as physically affectionate as Marinette and Tikki, but when they decided to be loving with each other, Adrien welcomed the interaction.

Shuffling away from them, Master Fu muttered under his breath about magical whims and their consequences. He continued his whispered tirade as he began opening and shutting the tiny intricate drawers which filled the entirety of one wall in the training room. Adrien had always been fascinated by these little compartments, and as Master Fu lifted different herbs and other small items from their depths, Adrien could feel his curiosity growing exponentially. Taking a cautious step toward Master Fu, Adrien stopped short when a hand was held up in front of his face.

"Leave him here," Master Fu commented, turning away from Adrien to continue to open tiny drawers, "I'll send him back to you. And you will deal with what comes. Transformation will last twenty fours and no more."

Looking over his shoulder, Adrien smirked at Plagg. "First Ariel, now Cinderella. You're a real Disney princess today." Ducking when Plagg flew at his face, Adrien laughed as Plagg crashed into an unsuspecting Wayzz. Noting the pout on Wayzz's face, Adrien poked the green kwami. "What's wrong?" he inquired, trying to get Wayzz to look at him.

"It's not fair," Wayzz mumbled, shooting a glance at Master Fu. Plagg waved both of his hands between Wayzz and Master Fu, silently persuading Adrien to ask for transformation on behalf of the other kwami.

Waving his hands back in exasperation, Adrien rolled his eyes in consent. Master Fu already seemed irritated with his request, and Adrien had already bit his tongue when it came to requesting a second transformation for Plagg for the wedding the following weekend. Feeling like he was sacrificing any chance of that happening, Adrien muttered, "Could you change Wayzz too?"

"And Nooroo!" Wayzz added excitedly, ducking onto a shelf and dragging a resistant purple being into the open. Adrien gawked at the small kwami, noticing the distinctly recognizable set of wings.

"Why not change them all!" Master Fu tossed his hands in the air, whirling around to scold the three kwamis. "Bring me Tikki, Trixx and Pollen and we'll have a party!" The irritation in Master Fu's voice was apparent and Adrien exchanged sheepish glances with the kwamis.

"Tikki and Trixx are on the way to Italy with Marinette and Alya," Adrien shrugged, looking back to Master Fu who was glaring daggers into his face. "And… uh… well it isn't like we have heard from Bee in a while, so who knows where Pollen is." Shifting uncomfortably, Adrien glanced at the kwamis while Master Fu continued to stare at him. It was uncomfortably quiet in the room, none of them speaking while Master Fu studied Adrien and Plagg in turn.

"Italy?" Master Fu asked, a small tut escaping him as he shook his head. It didn't sound like he expected an answer, going back to pulling down little ceramic bowls and a variety of oddly smelling cloth bags without waiting for a response.

Confused, Adrien looked back to the kwamis who were happily chattering about what human names they were going to choose for the night. Listening without providing input, Adrien studied the purple kwami, a growing thought nagging at the back of his mind. Feeling the pieces click, Adrien let out a small gasp and rushed into the face of the purple magical being. "What miraculous do you guard?" Adrien realized a little too late how aggressive he sounded, Nooroo's body quaking as he pulled away from Adrien's question. "I'm sorry!" Adrien apologized, raising both of his hands and stepping back as Wayzz put an arm around Nooroo's shoulders to comfort him.

"Nooroo is still a little shaky with human interaction," Master Fu kept his back facing the room as he spoke, "his wielder made some mistakes. Maybe tonight will help reassure him of the good in the world." A quick glance over his shoulder had Master Fu nodding.

Plagg sat on Adrien's shoulder and tugged his hair. "Kid, look at him. You know who he is, you've seen the book. You know Hawkmoth hasn't been active in a year, what did you think happened?"

His mind was spinning as he looked from Nooroo to Wayzz, shoving Plagg from his shoulder to throw an exasperated look in his direction. They had spent months speculating why Hawkmoth had ceased sending akumas to plague them, stressing about the possibility that the villain could be plotting a much bigger attack. "The entire time, you knew he was here?" Adrien was shouting now, throwing his arms out in the direction of Plagg. "You let us stress… for a year… and never said anything? Do all of the kwamis know?" He watched the heads nod, throwing a narrowed look at the back of Master Fu's nodding head. "What the hell?!" Adrien made to grab his cell phone from his pocket, with the intention of calling Marinette and exclaiming over the news. A wrinkled hand covered his and Adrien scoffed as he looked down at Master Fu. There had been a number of times over the years that Adrien had questioned Master Fu's decisions, but mostly he had trusted the man to always eventually tell them the truth. This news, however, had Adrien feeling his old uncertainty regarding the reliability of adults creeping back.

"Nooroo has been through a lot," Master Fu accepted Nooroo into the crook of his arm, rocking the purple kwami like a baby, "when Hawkmoth turned, Nooroo lost his best friend, and at the hands of his best friend he suffered. Wouldn't you need time to recover from that before being assaulted with questions by nosy miraculous holders?" Scooping Nooroo up in his hands, Master Fu carefully place him in Adrien's hands. Adrien felt his heart crack at the scared way Nooroo avoided looking at him. "Take care of him tonight, show him that people are still good. That will make this exhausting magic worth it." Patting Adrien on the shoulder, Master Fu left his side to continue his prep work.

"Hi," Adrien spoke softly, wincing when Nooroo flinched in his hands. "I'm sorry you had to go through all of that, but my friends are nice. You'll have fun tonight, I promise." He smiled down at the tiny kwami who finally managed his own tiny smile. It looked like Nooroo was going to say something, but Master Fu was suddenly back at Adrien's side.

"Alright, out you go," Master Fu retrieved Nooroo from Adrien's hands, nudging Adrien toward the door with his elbow. "I'll send them your way when I am finished with them."

"I know the way," Plagg and Nooroo spoke in unison, Plagg gritting his teeth and widening his eyes as he sharply shook his head in Nooroo's direction.

Adrien noticed the interaction, but before he could inquire further, Master Fu grabbed him by the shirt sleeve and dragged him to the front door. "But, wait… what…" The door slammed in Adrien's face with a "goodbye" shouted from behind it. Thoroughly confused and exhausted Adrien threw his hands in the air and set off down the hallway to head back to the comfort of his own bed.

The thoughts swirled painfully in his tired mind. There was something more that the kwamis weren't telling him, and Master Fu had seemed eager to separate them, so Adrien couldn't figure out why Fu was willing to let all three of them transform to human form. Surely whatever it was that they were hiding couldn't be a big deal and Adrien decided to shove all the thoughts away, anxious to return to his bed for a few more hours of sleep before his night with the guys. Dragging his feet along the sidewalk, he made his way home, slowly forcing the storm inside his mind to settle.

* * *

The plane ride to Italy had gone smoothly, and Marinette stretched herself awake, patting Alya's head where it rested on Marinette's lap. They had the run of the entire private charter plane and had ended up curled together in two seats. For a moment it felt like their old sleepovers, piling together in Marinette's bed and cuddling while they told silly stories into the late hours of the night. Marinette's heart ached for those simpler times, cracking her neck as the plans for the next few hours settled in front of her.

Somewhere inside of the airport, their missing teammate was waiting for them. Reconnecting was Marinette's first step in her plan, and she turned on her cell phone with the anxious pit landed squarely at the bottom of her stomach. It had been easy to ignore how nervous she was when they were thousands of miles above ground, consuming too much food and lounging lazily in the privacy of the plane cabin. The plane was on the ground though and they were in Italy, and there was no going back. Breathing through her nerves, Marinette stood from her seat pulling Alya up behind her to wait for their luggage and the plane door to be opened.

* * *

People moved much faster than Marinette anticipated as she bumped shoulders with Alya to avoid the rushing crowds inside of the terminal. Shouts rang out between traveling groups, happy in essence and startling in volume. Overwhelmed by the bustle, Marinette nearly missed the sound of her own name, floating over the crowd from a figure leaning against the wall.

"No way," Alya hissed, standing next to Marinette as she watched Chloe Bourgeois push off from the wall.

"Buzz buzz, bitches," Chloe smirked, tapping the hair comb in her hair as she flipped her ponytail over her shoulder. She looked older without the layers of makeup she had worn in high school, and her clothes, while still fashionable were also more relaxed. Despite her crude greeting, she was smiling at both of them and didn't fight it when Marinette pulled her into a hug. "You were always too sappy for my taste," remarked Chloe, before giving in to the hug and patting Marinette on the back with her hand.

"So it was you," Alya was still gob smacked. When their team had been four of them, instead of the fated duo and their resident orange third wheel, Queen Bee had been her partner. They had worked well together and it had taken Alya longer than she wanted to admit to recover from the hurt of losing Bee on their team. "It was you!" The anger flared in Alya's chest and she shoved Chloe away from Marinette, jabbing Chloe in the shoulder with her finger. "You left me! No explanation! You disappeared and left me alone with the miraculously clueless duo. You were supposed to be my partner!"

"I take offense to that!" Marinette attempted to interject, rebuffed when both Alya and Chloe yelled "not right now!" in tandem shouts. She couldn't even be mad at them, smiling as she took a step back and watched them square off against each other in the middle of the crowded terminal.

Alya and Chloe had been incredible partners. They didn't tease the way she did with Chat Noir, but they had a constant level of banter that was sophisticated and full of quick witted sarcasm. They protected each other and supported each other, creating a balance and a harmony to the team that hadn't existed since Bee had vanished without a word. The team worked fine as a trio, but Marinette always knew that Alya began to question her place when Bee left, and Marinette had felt pulled between Chat Noir and Rena Rouge constantly.

"How would you have reacted back then, Volpy?" Chloe spat, shoulders raised and back straight as she met Alya's fire with her own. "Do you think you would have welcomed me with open arms once you knew who I was? You hated me in school. I wasn't going to take the chance of having you hate me as your partner as well."

Visibly deflating, Alya let her posture drop from its rigid state of annoyance. Chloe spoke the truth. If she had revealed her identity at seventeen like the rest of them had, there would have been a chance that their team would have fallen apart. Adrien was the only one who was still giving Chloe chances to improve herself at that point in their lives, and Alya couldn't argue that she and Marinette would not have reacted well with the news. Studying the nervous fidgeting that Chloe was doing, Alya slowly nodded her head, dropping her suitcase to the ground to step closer to her partner. "You're right," Alya sighed, shooting at glance at Marinette who made a smug sound in response. "It wouldn't have gone well. But you could have told me you were leaving." Grabbing Chloe's wrist, Alya yanked her into a hug. "I was scared," Alya whispered, a barely audible admission that made Chloe instantly react by hugging her partner back.

"I've made some mistakes," Chloe giggled when Alya poked her side, "okay, I have made a lot of mistakes, but I'm different now." Pulling back, Chloe placed her hands on Alya's shoulders, "Give me a second chance?" There was no please attached to the statement, but Marinette didn't expect there to be one. Apparently, it was good enough for Alya who nodded before pulling Chloe back into a hug.

As they finally made their way through the exit of the airport, a calm settling between them as they fell into a familiar rhythm, Alya nudged Chloe with her elbow and winked. "I changed my name by the way," she grinned when Chloe raised a skeptical eyebrow, "I go by Rena Rouge now. I was so tired of being connected in any way to that idiot Lilia."

Bursting out laughing, Chloe linked her arm through Alya's bent elbow. "Lilia's idiocy will always be something we can agree on." Stepping from the curb, the three of them continued to laugh as they made their way toward Chloe's car.


	4. Chapter 4

**The boys throw Adrien a bachelor party, complete with beer pong and flip cup.**

 **They are all 21+ in this fic, no under age drinking going on! (Also, don't be like Adrien, kids!)**

 **The Avengers joke is one of the worst I have ever made... until the joke about Hawkmoth in the next chapter. Writing bang fics makes me punchy...**

* * *

Most of his day had been spent lying in bed, blankly staring at his ceiling while trying to keep all his theories about Nooroo at bay. He had wanted to tell Marinette all about it, but she had been too busy laughing and shopping with Alya to stay on the phone. It was better this way, he supposed, he didn't want to ruin her weekend away with the talk of their superhero drama. Flopping his head toward the clock, Adrien dragged himself out of the bed and into the shower to physically prepare himself for the night ahead.

It had been weird to develop friendships with so many of the guys when his friend group had originally been focused on only three other people. Nino was his best friend without a doubt, as was Plagg, but he enjoyed hanging out with Max, Kim, Nat, and Ivan whenever they were around. Tonight they would all convene for a night at Nino's and Ivan's shared apartment, with the objective of celebrating Adrien's upcoming nuptials with beer and games.

Although tonight would certainly be different, Adrien pondered, dropping his dirty clothes into the hamper and stepping into his shower. He had no idea what to expect from the human version of the kwamis and he had been trying to force himself not to worry about the possibility for catastrophe during all of the afternoon hours. Dousing his hair with shampoo, he scrubbed at his scalp, hoping to wash away the rest of the lingering concerns.

He stayed under the water until his fingers were wrinkled, finally shutting it off and admitting defeat. It wasn't that he didn't want to have a night with the guys, but his mind felt preoccupied with other thoughts, and he couldn't seem to spare the energy to be excited. Plodding back out to his room, Adrien wandered into his closet to pull out a pair of jeans and a fresh shirt. Dressing methodically, his head came up as he heard Nathalie's voice through the intercom informing him that he had some off-color visitors at the door. Smiling at the potential for that to be a very literal description, he politely asked her to send them up to his room. He was still towel drying his hair when his bedroom door banged opened to reveal three figures.

"Hey, kid," a guy who was unmistakably Plagg grinned, sauntering into the room and tossing himself down on the couch, "got any camembert?" The other two followed more hesitantly, perching themselves on the individual chairs without the careless flop exhibited by Plagg.

Adrien took in the eclectic group in front of him, blinking rapidly as he tried to absorb the three guys who had invaded his room. In place of Plagg's normal catlike appearance was a gangly man of roughly Adrien's age, sporting ripped jeans, a black t-shirt and a worn black leather jacket. His hair was black and flopping casually over one eye, with tips appearing dyed a bright green. On his feet were green combat boots, untied with the tongues hanging out. Shaking his head, Adrien rotated his gaze to the other two human kwamis.

Wayzz's hair was also oddly colored, streaks of black and green running like strips through his shaggy Mohawk. Unlike Plagg, his jeans were without holes, and he was wearing a long-sleeved Henley in pea green. His tennis shoes were bright white and tied with perfect knots, and three of his fingers were adorned with rings. Wayzz conversed with Nooroo about the stuff in Adrien's room, pointing at random objects as if they were in the middle of a live seek-and-find book.

Nooroo, despite the singular purple highlight in his brown hair, looked incredibly plain. He had on a simple purple sweater and an unremarkable pair of khakis with brown boat shoes. He was quieter than both Plagg and Wayzz, skittishly peering around Adrien's room as if paranoid that a monster was going to spring forth from the closet or from under the bed. Adrien again felt a pang of sadness for everything Nooroo had been through, resisting the urge to cross the room to hug him. Instead, Adrien disappeared into his bathroom to hang up his towel, brushing his teeth as he rearranged his own flop of hair before returning to the room with the kwamis.

"You guys ready to go?" Adrien grabbed his jacket from his desk chair, looking over his shoulder at his three guests. He paused, staring at the three grinning faces suddenly feeling the apprehension explode inside of him. "Why are you looking at me like that?" He did not feel comforted by the matching set of mischievous grins being leveled in his direction.

"Don't you want to know our names?" Plagg asked, drumming his fingers on the arm of the couch and flicking his gaze between the other kwamis and Adrien. "You should probably know our names before you have to introduce us to your friends." As his smile turned wicked, Plagg flicked a finger toward Wayzz. "That's Tony," Plagg said, moving on to point at Nooroo, "and that's Peter. And I'm Thor."

"No," Adrien groaned, smacking himself in the forehead, "you cannot name yourself after the Avengers!" Pressing a palm to his forehead Adrien imagined that this was probably only the beginning to his ridiculous night.

"I tried to tell him that!" Wayzz threw a hand toward Plagg who was cracking up at Adrien's distress. "I wanted to name myself Logan!"

Adrien smacked his head hard enough with his palm to make Nooroo jump. "Okay, here are the rules. You will act like normal guys my age. You will not use magic, wait can you _use_ magic?" He paused and watched the three of them nod. "Okay, no magic. Just three normal guys who I met while modeling who are in town for one night. That's it, got it?"

"I always knew I was model material," Plagg winked at Adrien laughing as Adrien groaned again. "Relax, kid, we've got it. Thousands of years old or not, we can still hang."

"This is a nightmare," Adrien whispered, shutting off the light in his room as he led the three other out of the door and down the hallway. Crossing the foyer toward the front door, Plagg practically crashed into Adrien's back when Gabriel Agreste called his son's name. A small yip escaped from Nooroo as Gabriel strode into the open space, and Wayzz quickly threw an arm over his friend's shoulders to guide him from the house.

Gabriel's eyes bore holes into the brown-haired boy's back, only snapping out of his stare when Adrien cleared his throat. "Unsavory characters you have as friends, son," Gabriel continued to gaze after Nooroo and Wayzz, as Plagg punched Adrien in the arm.

"I promise you, Mr. Agreste, we are very savory!" Ruffling Adrien's hair, Plagg chuckled as he followed his friends out of the door.

"How do you know them?" Gabriel finally looked at Adrien, his face unreadable as he clasped his hands together. His tone was judgmental and immediately put Adrien on edge.

"University," Adrien lied, looking at his feet instead of his father. "Did you need something? I'm heading to Nino's for the night."

"I merely wanted to know if you had heard from Marinette," Gabriel's voice softened, a small smile appearing where his grimace had been. Adrien loved that Marinette had that effect on people, even on his grumpy father.

"I did." Adrien let his own smile spread over his face, "They are having a great time. Thanks for doing all of that for her by the way. She deserves to have some fun." His father had no idea how much Marinette deserved the break, but he appreciated his father's kindness. Acting on impulse, he reached out and hugged his dad.

Sighing, Gabriel lightly returned his son's hug, still awkward with physical affection after so many years of being emotionally unavailable. His son had no idea what the real reason was for Marinette's trip to Italy, and Gabriel squeezed tighter around Adrien's back to attempt to relieve some of his own guilt. Slowly he moved his hands to Adrien's shoulders and pushed his son away. "Have fun tonight," Gabriel patted his son's cheek, "you deserve it as well." With a small nod, Gabriel turned on his heel and returned back to the room from which he appeared.

"Come on, kid!" Plagg shouted from the outside stairs, waving an excited arm to encourage Adrien to hurry up.

"Coming… Thor!" Adrien shouted back, joining the other three in their hysterical laughter as they started their walk to Nino's house.

* * *

Shouts and cheers filled the walls of the small apartment as red plastic cups clattered across the dining room table. There were two lines of bodies spread on either side of the table, separated into teams and each responsible for the beer and the flipping of their own cup. They were deep into round five of flip cup, and Adrien was definitely beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol. When Plagg, happily being referred to as Thor by everyone at the party, nudged Adrien's side he immediately chugged the remaining liquid in his cup before expertly flipping it onto its rim. Excitedly Adrien chest bumped Plagg, laughing as they both stumbled sideways onto Max.

At the other end of the table, Nino threw his arms around Nooroo lifting him up in celebration as their line once again beat Adrien's group. Adrien had expected Nooroo to shy away from the touch, but he seemed to have found a rhythm with Nino that was allowing Nooroo to relax and enjoy the evening. As the game broke up, Adrien heard Nino ask Nooroo to be his partner in beer pong, and couldn't help laughing at Nooroo's excited agreement.

The beer pong rotation started as the rest of the guys settled into beating the mess out of each other in Ultimate Mecha Strike IX. Adrien wandered toward the kitchen, absently hopping onto the counter and dragging a piece of pizza out of the stack of boxes. An aggressive amount of food had been ordered for the party, with Ivan's stipulation being that none of could adhere to Adrien's model diet plan. He had cheered for the idea, clinking his first can of beer against Ivan's and happily indulging in the spread laid out across the kitchen counter.

"Having fun?" Plagg mirrored Adrien's movements, grabbing his own slice of pizza and shoving half of it in his mouth. "Oh my god, human mouths are so big, it is glorious," Plagg declared, speaking with a mouthful of cheese and crust.

Adrien snorted into his cup, swigging the rest of what was in it before polishing off his own piece of pizza. There was zero chance that he was going to survive the night without suffering for it tomorrow, and he was completely fine with that. Kicking his legs, he stuck his tongue out when Plagg kicked lightly at his foot.

"Answer my question," Plagg laughed, swatted again at Adrien's leg as he bent to retrieve another slice from the top cardboard box. "Fun? Yes?" He looked expectantly at Adrien flipping his head to move his bangs out from their position over his eye.

"Fun definitely," Adrien nodded, jumping down from the counter to spin and land next to Plagg on the opposite one. "I have good friends." Peering around the room, Adrien couldn't stop his exaggerated smile as he watched Max and Kim tackle Wayzz onto the couch and watched Nino and Nooroo high-fiving over another beer pong victory. "Hey, Nooroo and Nino seem to be hitting it off…" he watched them for another few seconds before turning to Plagg. "What do you think…"

Plagg shrugged, shoving the rest of his pizza in his mouth and chewing for a moment before answering. "I know where you are going with this. It sucks to be outnumbered by girls, but you can't assign miraculouses all willy nilly like that. Fu, despite how crazy he can be sometimes, has a reason for everything he does." Sinking further back against the counter, Plagg continued to watch Nooroo who was sinking every ping pong ball directly into an opposing cup. The magic being used was obvious, even if it is only because of Plagg's equally magical nature. Chuckling to himself, Plagg watched Nino throw his arms around Nooroo again to celebrate. Even with the touch, Nooroo remained relaxed and smiling, making Plagg glance toward Adrien, discovering the know-it-all smile on his partner's face. "Fine!" Plagg conceded, pushing Adrien's shoulder and then panicking as Adrien began to tip over. Dragging him back to standing, Plagg shook his head. "How about if you remember this conversation in the morning, I will be the one to say something to Fu. And if you don't, you have to. Deal?" Sticking his hand out, Plagg burst out laughing as Adrien missed his handshake and continued to tip forward toward the ground.

"Deal," Adrien said, regaining his balance and slipping his hand into Plagg's. It was already a little fuzzy as to exactly what he had agreed to, and he peered at Plagg through his narrowed eyes, hoping he didn't doom himself into something horrible. Trusting that Plagg wouldn't completely take advantage of his inebriated state, he slapped his partner on the back, shoving Plagg toward the beer pong table as he loudly yelled, "we got next!"

* * *

The air was chilly following sunset and Ladybug felt a shiver run down her spine as she dropped down next to her partners. They had taken a cab as far as they could outside of the outskirts of the city, opting to transform and use their individual means of travel to carry them the rest of the way, swinging and flashing through the trees as they shared smiles and laughter.

True to what Marinette had told Adrien, they had spent the day shopping, exploring shops that were far beyond Alya's and Marinette's means, and following Chloe into the smaller shops which carried unique and more affordable clothes. Chloe knew every inch of the city like the back of her hand and acted as a magnificent tour guide throughout their afternoon adventures.

They had eaten dinner at the same restaurant where Adrien had proposed, and had indulged in every dessert in the cart to make up for turning down the offered wine. None of them could afford to be off their game when they finally set off on their real purpose for the trip, so they happily consumed every confection deciding the sweetness was far better than any buzz could be.

Even with the evening activities hanging over them, they had laughed through every reminiscent story, teasing each other and enjoying each other's company in a way they had never managed to do. With the exception of when they had all hidden behind masks.

Crouching behind a line of dense trees, those masks firmly protecting their identities, the three women examined the front of the small square house. "Two guards," Queen Bee whispered, nodding her head twice in the direction of the brutally large men standing at attention in front of the door.

"Cameras there, there and there," Rena Rouge pointed to several surveillance cameras, twirling her flute between her hands as she slyly pulled rocks from their place in the dirt. "Thoughts on entry points?"

Ladybug shook her head. The house was so much smaller than she had been expecting and she felt a little foolish for thinking that she couldn't handle this mission on her own. The larger than life guards standing at attention were intimidating, but she had no reason to believe many more of them existed. These two looked like they would barely fit through the front door, and there simply didn't appear to be enough space to house any more similarly sized individuals. Tapping a finger on her chin, she went to speak when her phone rang at her hip. Showing the other two the image of Adrien blaring up from her screen, she quickly detransformed and answered the video call with a fake smile plastered on her face.

"Helllloooo I looveeee youuu!" Adrien sang into the phone, causing Rena and Bee to collapse onto each other in an effort to hold in their laughter. "Look, look! Wanna see who I have with me?" The screen shook as Adrien wrestled with another man, finally winning his fight and dragging an unfamiliar face onto the screen. "Loookkkkkkk," he whispered, exaggeratedly widening his eyes as he got closer to the camera lens, "its PLAAGGGGG!" A scuffle on the other end left Marinette blinking at the blank screen, shrugging at her partners as they signaled at her to be quiet. She became terrified to say anything, paranoia setting in as she glanced around the trees to make sure they hadn't been spotted, finger pressing the volume button to control the reach of Adrien's voice.

"Sorry, Marinette," a head of black and green hair popped onto the screen, the man finally lifting his face so Marinette could see his bright green eyes, "Adrien has officially passed out from all his fun. We will make sure he lives to see tomorrow."

Before Marinette could respond, another stranger leaned into the screen. "Hi Marinette!" waved a boy with green and black striped hair. Responding with a silent confused wave of her own, Marinette toppled backwards when Tikki swooped in to grab the phone from her hands.

"Fu made you human?!" Tikki's voice was a screeching hiss, as she glared into the screen. "That's not fair. I'm out here working and you guys… well you guys are being you guys!" Huffing in frustration, Tikki threw Marinette's phone back into her lap.

"Aww baby don't be like that!" Plagg cooed from the phone, making Marinette freeze and stare at Tikki. The kwami was already red, but her cheeks began to glow like fire, an obvious sign that she was embarrassed by the nickname.

Flying down to steal the phone back, Tikki narrowed her eyes at Plagg. "Don't baby me, make sure they are okay, especially Nooroo, who I assume is there too." She rolled her eyes as Nooroo sheepishly popped his head into the screen. "Whatever, let the real heroes work, we'll talk about this when we get back." Jabbing the end button on Marinette's phone, Tikki grumbled under her breath as she handed it back to Marinette. Looking up to find all three humans staring at her, Tikki rolled her eyes again, throwing her tiny arms into the air. "We don't have time for twenty questions!" Diving toward Marinette, Tikki threw herself into the miraculous without waiting for Marinette's call.

"Well…" Rena started, blinking as Ladybug appeared before them. "I think we are going to have more than a few questions for our kwamis tonight. And I think Marinette is going to have quite a few for her hung over fiancé tomorrow." Rena laughed at Ladybug's distressed look, nodding her head as she tried to wrap her mind around the concept of human kwamis. Trixx would be equal parts fun and utterly obnoxious, and Rena decided she was not eager to find out the truth of that assumption. If Adrien had decided to take on human kwamis, that was definitely his problem and his problem alone.

Clearing her throat, Bee nodded in the direction of the house. "We're wasting time," she said without malice or sass. She had easily returned to her superhero persona and was enjoying the sense of freedom it gave her from the everyday chip on her shoulder. "I think cameras first, then bad guys. Sound good?" She looked between her two partners, seeing their nods of approval. "Alright Vol- I mean Rena," Bee smirked, "you're up!"

Handing her three rocks to Bee, Rena stood with her flute in her hands, angled over her shoulder like a baseball bat. Winking at Bee, Rena swung back and cracked her flute against the rock, sending it sailing directly into the first camera. The second shot hit its mark as well, causing the camera to dangle from its wire.

Her third shot missed, and Rena pouted checking in the dirt for another rock and coming up empty handed. "No worries," Ladybug shrugged, swinging her yo-yo over her head to wrap around a tree branch, "all take it out on my way in." Nodding in the direction of the house, she let herself be pulled up by the strength of her yo-yo, feet pushing off from the tree as she swung to the next one.

The last camera fell from its post with a satisfying snap and both guards turned to stare at Ladybug who was standing on the roof of the house. "Hi boys!" she called, grinning and pointing behind them as her partners landed on the dirt. In comically slow motion, the two huge men turned to immediately collide with the barrel of Rena's flute and the sting of Bee's trumpo. Ladybug jumped from the roof, standing between the two knocked out guards and smiled at her teammates.

"Not akumas, but still fun," Bee acknowledged, using her foot to flip one of the men onto his back. "They look weirdly familiar, right?" She studied the man's face, trying to place where she had seen it before.

"Maybe the Agreste's secretly clone Gorilla in the basement of their high rise." Rena spoke without looking at the other two, crouching down to examine the door. Finding it unlocked, she pushed it in slightly, brow furrowing at the ease in which the door opened. Peering over her shoulder at Ladybug, Rena stood up and waved silently. All three of them became suddenly cautious, crouching into their ready stances before carefully entering the house.

"What in the hell…" Bee was the first to stand, placing her hands on her hips and gazing around the house. The house which looked completely ordinary in every way and not like any place a kidnapping victim would be held. When a shadow moved, they all jumped back, prepared to attack should the need arise.

"Girls," the voice was chilly calm, breaking the silence from the right side of the house. Moving as a group, they turned, spying a lone figure sitting quietly in a chair at the end of a long table. "May I ask why you felt the need to knock out my bodyguards? Fred and Jim are very nice men." The figure rose, short and slender, with sharp features and long blond hair.

Ladybug felt her exclamation catch in her throat. Releasing her stance, she hooked her yo-yo around her waist and stepped forward to come face-to-face with Lavande Agreste.

"Wow," Lavande spoke, her tone still eerily even as she stood in front of them, lean and elegant in her white suit. "Now that is a mask that I haven't seen in a very long time." Lifting a steady hand, Lavande gingerly touched the side of Ladybug's face, putting pressure on her cheek to turn Ladybug's head. "I see the earrings are still intact." Humming to herself, Lavande moved away from Ladybug, stopping next to Rena to poke the amulet around her neck. "And the necklace," she spoke as if making a list, spinning on her pointed heel to flick the comb in Bee's hair. "And the hair comb. Interesting that you are an all-female team. That's not usually Fu's style. Historically, he prefers a more romantic view of the miraculouses." Stepping away, Lavande crossed her arms over her chest. "I am going to ask this once, and only once. What are you doing here?"

Lavande Agreste was unsettling to share space with. Unlike Gabriel Agreste who was slowly beginning to thaw his icy exterior, Lavande gave off of the vibe that she was very much relishing in the power that her coldness provided her. There wasn't an ounce of warmth in her being and Ladybug found herself wondering how Adrien could have come from either of his parents.

Hoping beyond reason, Ladybug cleared her throat. "We're here because your son is getting married," she paused, hoping that Lavande would have some sort of reaction to the news. When she continued to stand unaffected and aloof, Ladybug pressed on. "He believes you are dead, but his father doesn't. It is creating a conflict in Adrien, one that could be easily resolved if you would come back to Paris with us." She finished her thought, feeling all of her hope draining away with each word. Lavande looked completely uncaring, and Ladybug's heart broke for her love.

"Why would I go back?" Lavande shifted to resting her hands on her hips. "Here, I can create and develop my own designs, without the judgements and evaluations of my husband. I am not forced to pedal fake jewelry based on ancient and dying magic. I don't have to fit anyone's mold but my own. Why I would give that up is beyond me." Moving through the room, Lavande looked as if she was gliding instead of walking across carpet in sharp heels.

"Because he is your son!" It wasn't Ladybug who spoke, and she stumbled back into Rena's arms as Bee pushed past her. "Adrien is your son, and if you had any idea what he has been through these past few years, you would be running to him. At least… that's what a real mother would do!" Bee loomed over Lavande who had gracefully sat at the edge of an arm chair.

"What would you know about mothers, Chloe?" Lavande tipped her chin up, callously smiling as Bee shrunk back. Ladybug and Rena exchanged shocked glances, silent questions flying between them as to how Lavande already identified Chloe behind her mask. "You can't even remember yours, am I right?" Folding her hands in her lap, Lavande continued to examine the girls down the bridge of her nose. "Now, all three of you should leave me in peace. I am not harming anyone where I am and I would prefer to stay here. I'm sure if you found your way this far, you can find your way out again." Waving a hand toward the door, Lavande continued to smile at them with bland disinterest.

Bee's face scrunched together, looking like she wanted to scream but instead she stormed out the house, kicking one of the guards on her way out to satisfy her anger. Rena left next, muttering under her breath about hugging her mom when she got home.

Standing alone in the middle of the room, Ladybug lifted her jaw to a defiant angle. "Whatever your reasons are for not coming back, they aren't good enough." Lowering her gaze to meet Lavande's head on, she continued. "Adrien is a wonderful man, no thanks to you, and if you can't care about him long enough to give him peace, then you might as well be dead." Barely resisting the urge to slap the cold look off of Lavande's face, Ladybug walked slowly to the door. Pausing without turning around, she stared hard at the ground, deciding to give it one last shot. "He wouldn't remember you like this. When he does talk about you, it is as if the sun used to rise and set on your smile. He still loves you, and would continue to, no matter how bitter and disinterested you've become." Finally looking back, Ladybug saw the slightest flinch on Lavande's face. "Our wedding is on Saturday in Paris. If you come to your senses, I'm sure you can find a way to contact us. He is a miraculous holder too. And my partner. I'm only saying it old loud because I think you already know that. Somehow I think you already know a lot of things. Which makes your decision to stay away even more vile." Dropping her head, Ladybug tried to keep her last sentence from escaping her. A skeptical hiss floated from where Lavande was sitting and Ladybug gritted her teeth. "I promise you though, I will love him better than you ever could."

Without another word, Ladybug closed the door behind her, nodding to her partners as they set off into the night.


	5. Chapter 5

**RIP Adrien.**

 **Plus a new holder (roll with me on this one, because the thought started in The Last Date and then Season 2 spoilers happened and well, here we are lol)**

 **I can't see Season 2 yet, so just consider it an AU ;)**

* * *

Adrien was dying.

Curling into a ball in the middle of the bed, Adrien groaned with the worst headache he had ever experienced. His body felt like lead and every time he moved he was convinced that the world was spinning out from underneath his feet. He remembered asking Plagg and the other two if he was going to die, and he remembered being convinced he had when sleep had finally come for him. Wincing, Adrien marginally opened one eye to watch Plagg cross the room carrying a bottle of water.

"Feeling good?" Plagg asked, chuckling softly when Adrien groaned again. "Drink this," Plagg put the cold bottle against Adrien's forehead, "and take these." Placing two aspirin in Adrien's slack hand, Plagg sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. "How much do you remember from last night?"

"You're still human," Adrien mumbled, answering neither of Plagg's questions as he rolled onto his back and threw the aspirin down his throat. The room was too bright and the ceiling was too high, making Adrien feel another round of dizziness set his head and stomach into motion.

"Astute observation, kid," Plagg laid back on the bed, head landing even with Adrien's knees as he studied the ceiling. "Nooroo and Wayzz already headed back. They weren't up for any more of your gastropyrotechnics." Shuddering, Plagg shifted to put an arm behind his head.

"I'm sorry." The apology was meek, but even without explicit knowledge of what he had been up to, Adrien figured it was needed. "You guys were supposed to be having fun, and instead you were taking care of me. I'm sorry." Tears blinked into Adrien's eyes as his hangover mixed with his embarrassment.

"Wow, no!" Sitting up, Plagg pointed a finger at Adrien's face. "There is no way you are getting emotional on me. We had a ton of fun, even getting your drunk ass back home was pretty entertaining. Do you remember drunk dialing Marinette?"

Mortified, Adrien threw an arm over his face and let another pained groan escape him. "How bad was I?" He could only imagine the things he could have said with his filter destroyed by poison of alcohol.

Making an amused sound in the back of his throat, Plagg smiled down at Adrien. "Not bad, but very much in love. You cheeseball." Wrapping a hand around Adrien's elbow, Plagg pulled away the arm hiding Adrien's face. "Although, coming home to high-five your father while saying sup Hawkdaddy was probably your most interesting decision."

Shooting up from his place on the bed, Adrien grabbed his head in an attempt to hold his brain in. Shaking it violently from side to side, Adrien tried to process what Plagg was telling him. A faint memory, blurry and distorted, came back to him of his father's shocked face and his father's audible acknowledgement of the kwamis by their real names. Unsure if he should trust the questionable details in his mind, Adrien forced himself to look at Plagg. "My father, he was…" the ability to complete the sentence was lost on him and he waved a hand in Plagg's direction for help.

"Hawkmoth," Plagg answered, nodding his head with his green eyes focused on the comforter. "It's a kick in the ass, I know. How did you figure it out?"

Bewildered, Adrien stared down at his hands. The news didn't feel shocking, although it should have considering Adrien had been battling his own father for five years. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Adrien tried to sort out all the fragments scattered over his alcohol drenched brain. "I think… I don't know. I guess drunk Adrien is smarter than sober Adrien." He laughed when Plagg pushed his shoulder. He wasn't sure exactly what reasoning he had used to deduce his father's past miraculous status, but pushing his brain on the issue was giving him a raging headache. Pressing the palms of his hands into his eyes, Adrien felt Plagg nudge him again and grunted in response.

"Get a shower, then we'll go talk to Fu." Standing, Plagg pulled Adrien to his feet to shove him toward the bathroom. When Adrien paused, mouth open as if he was going to say something, Plagg held up a hand. "Gabriel didn't seem mad. He helped us get you up here and he had a quiet discussion with Nooroo before wishing us good luck in taking care of you. He said he wouldn't be here for a few days but that you two could talk before the wedding. That's all the information I have that you don't." Throwing himself back on a chair, Plagg nodded toward the bathroom drawer. "Go. Shower. I have to get out of this form, I'm tired of wearing pants."

Chuckling, Adrien turned away from his kwami to throw himself into his shower. He had called his fiancée while drunk, outed his father as his greatest nemesis, and who knew what else. If Adrien knew anything for certain as he stepped into his shower, it was that he was never drinking again.

* * *

With Plagg still parading around in his human form, Adrien was unable to take the easiest route to Master Fu's loft. As Chat Noir he would have swung over the rooftops of Paris, dropping down from the roof of Master Fu's building to swing into the open window in the training room. Not having the luxury of the miraculous, Adrien set off on foot, Plagg falling in step with him as they made their way down the sidewalk.

They were silent as they walked, Adrien's head still throbbing painfully and his eyes stinging from the bright light of the sun. He was still wrestling with the knowledge of his father being the infamous Hawkmoth, and he was so lost in the puzzle he had seemingly solved while drunk that he nearly missed the front door to Master Fu's loft. Stumbling backwards as Plagg grabbed the back of his shirt, Adrien hung his head in exhaustion. His brain was fuzzy and his mind was tired, and he followed Plagg up the stairs feeling like his body was being weighted to the ground.

The door was opening as they approached, Master Fu standing on the other side of it with an unreadable expression. Waving an arm toward the training room, Master Fu waited until they were both inside to close the door and follow them down the hall.

Nooroo and Wayzz were curled up on tiny pillows, highlighted by the afternoon sun. It was surreal to see them in their natural forms, the memories of their very human faces still fresh in Adrien's mind. Neither of them stirred as Adrien entered the room with Plagg on his heels, and he wondered briefly if the transformation magic was also exhausting for them. Plagg looked unaffected and happy, whistling between his teeth as he looked around the room.

"Did we have fun?" Master Fu asked, sitting on a pillow in the middle of the room. Adrien and Plagg followed suit, Plagg borrowing the red pillow that was usually reserved for Marinette. "You certainly look like you had too much fun," smirking in Adrien's direction, Master Fu crossed his hands in his lap and hummed to himself.

"It was great," Plagg chimed in, shooting a glance in Adrien's direction before continuing, "I'm hoping you'll let me go one more round next weekend. I would like to stand by my best friend's side as he marries his just-a-friend." As a pillow smacked into Plagg's face, he fell backwards, laughing as his own revival of the oldest joke between them. Adrien's clueless days that been absolute torture for Plagg, and he planned to use all of Adrien's adolescent obliviousness as a means to revengefully torture Adrien for the rest of his life.

Hopeful, Adrien looked to Master Fu, letting out a small cheer when Master Fu nodded. It was a question he was going to ask himself, and was prepared to argue for if necessary. In his hungover state, he was eternally grateful that he wouldn't need to. Smiling at Master Fu, Adrien bowed his head quickly and spoke his gratitude in a small verbal wave of relief.

Holding up a hand, Master Fu concentrated on Adrien. "Is that the only question we have this morning?" His tone was cautious and prodding, his gaze moving between the other beings in the room before settling back on Adrien.

Cheeks heating up, Adrien couldn't figure out why he felt anxious. He had been fighting with and against Master Fu for years, there was no reason to be tongue-tied over any of the thoughts in his mind. Maybe it was the heaviness of knowing that Master Fu would give final confirmation about Nooroo's previous holder or that he would outright reject Adrien's idea for Nooroo's next holder, but his tongue felt knotted and heavy in his mouth. Pained, he looked at Plagg for help, silently begging his partner to say all the things he couldn't.

Taking the hint, Plagg leaned over to squeeze Adrien's shoulder. "Somewhere in the midst of his pizza and beer binge, our Adrien here realized that his father was responsible for the plague of evil purple butterflies." Holding up his hands when Master Fu shot visual daggers at him, Plagg continued with a slightly higher pitch. "I didn't help him get there, I swear! He was muttering like Rain Man, speaking in these crazy circles and scaring the hell out of us when he screamed _my father is an evildoer_ in the middle the street." Plagg could barely hold in his chuckle as Adrien slapped a hand against his own forehead. Realizing Master Fu wanted all the information before responding, Plagg sighed and let his hands fall back into his lap. "Nooroo probably already told you, but he made a friend last night, and we," Plagg flicked a finger between himself and Adrien, "we were hoping that maybe you would consider pairing them."

Grunting, Master Fu shook his head. "Nino was always destined to take over the care of Wayzz, but I'm not ready to give up my partner just yet. If what Nooroo says is true, perhaps I can be persuaded to let Nino hold a different miraculous for the time being. It would give Nooroo a chance to trust again in preparation for his new pairing."

Resisting the urge to cheer, Adrien gave a triumphant side smile in Plagg's direction. Hearing Master Fu clear his throat, Adrien felt his cheeks reddened again as he returned his attention to the man in front of him.

"As for your father," Master Fu's hands were clasped together in his lap, fingers tensing and releasing over the backs of his hands. "Gabriel has made many mistakes, but he is a good man with an aching heart. He did the right thing by giving Nooroo up, even though it left both of them heartbroken." Softening at the sight of Adrien's tears, Master Fu leaned forward and patted his knee. "Your father has apologized for his errors and in time, I am sure he will apologize to you as well. Grief does funny things to people. It will be your choice if you forgive him." Pushing up from the ground, stiff and teetering in his movements, Master Fu held out an arm towards Plagg. "Time to change back now. Then you will all let this old man rest, especially if you are transforming next weekend so we can all party like it's 1999." Chuckling at Plagg's annoyed whine, Master Fu lead the kwami out of the room, with Plagg throwing a final wave over his shoulder.

"I don't hate him."

The statement was spoken quietly, but filled the room with its softness. Landing on Adrien's knee, Nooroo looked up at him with sleepy eyes. "Your father was so hurt when your mother left, it was a hurt that shredded his heart to a barely recognizable knot of torn pieces. He wanted to love you, and he wanted to bring her back. His despair clouded every decision that he made, except the one to give me back to Master Fu. We parted without hate, Adrien, and if you talk to him, I promise that he'll take the chance to change. He was once a hero, to you, to your mother, and to the world. Give him a chance to be one again." Not waiting for Adrien to respond, Nooroo fly back to his pillow, curling back into a tiny purple ball in the warmth of the sun's rays.

The tears that had been threatening to fall all morning burned down Adrien's cheeks as he committed every one of Nooroo's words to memory. He didn't want to hate his father, and he could understand mistakes made in grief. Swallowing hard, Adrien swore to himself that he would find a way to resolve everything between them, both as father and son and hero and villain.

"Plagg needs to rest." Master Fu spoke as he returned to the room, Plagg already asleep in the crook of his arm, looking every bit the sleeping cat he normally was. Gently, Adrien lifted Plagg from his sleeping place, and tucked his kwami into his usual pocket at the inside breast of Adrien's jacket. Silently, Adrien nodded at Master Fu, turning to leave the loft without responding.

* * *

The flight home had been completely silent. Each of the three women had retreated to a corner of the plane, lost in their own thoughts and out of words to express them.

Chloe sat curled in a window seat, bags heavy under her eyes after a night of stressful sleep. She had remembered Lavande Agreste as a kind and gentle woman, and the harsh words spoken in the weirdly quiet house had continued to fester in Chloe's mind leaving her feeling sick. She regretted not fighting back when she had the chance, and that regret was still lingering around her as she made the impromptu trip back to Paris with her teammates. It had never been her intention to attend the Agreste Dupain-Cheng wedding, but when Marinette had extended the invitation before sunrise that morning, Chloe had jumped at the opportunity. Being with Alya and Marinette had felt like being home, and Chloe wouldn't deprive herself of that feeling if she could help it. Tucking her head against the cool glass of the window, she squeezed her eyes shut and prayed for sleep.

Alya curled over the papers from Marinette's red folder, pouring over every detail as she used the plane's WI-FI to utilize the web browser on her phone. Adrien had always spoken about his mother with such idealized sweetness and Alya couldn't match the person she had expected from Lavande and the person they had met. There had to be a reason for the guarded and cold demeanor, and Alya was determined to find it. Circling another detail in the middle of the stack of papers, Alya snagged her phone from the tray and began to type furiously.

Tikki and Marinette were curled in a ball on the furthest back bench seat. Using her knees to hide Tikki's body, they exchanged whispered theories and confused opinions about exactly what had happened to Lavande. Neither of them could reconcile the image Adrien had painted with the chillingly cruel woman they had met, and they had been going around in circles for hours trying to sort it out.

The night before had also consisted of similar discussions, a break in the heaviness only occurring when Alya, Marinette, and Chloe had taken turns grilling their kwamis about their relationships with the others. Tikki had clammed up, refusing to speak about her relationship with Plagg, until Trixx and Pollen had spouted enough crazy lies to make Tikki screech the truth. Her exasperated announcement that her and Plagg had been in love for as long as she could remember had all three humans cooing with excitement as Tikki dove beneath a pillow and refused to come out. Alya had joked that Tikki and Marinette were twins, leading to Marinette joining her kwami in hiding beneath a plush hotel pillow.

They had all fallen asleep eventually, piled into one bed with the kwamis curled between them as the sun rose above the city. Their flight was at a more reasonable hour than the one that had brought them to Italy, and by the time they reached the airport tarmac, they had gained an extra guest with her kwami.

Marinette didn't hide her excitement that Chloe had agreed to join them for their wedding, and she quickly dialed the seamstress who had created Alya's dress, begging for two more dresses to be made before the next weekend. Winking at Tikki, Marinette read off the measurements that she and Chloe had provided her, thanking the seamstress profusely and promising to deliver her coffee every day for the next week. The cost of the caffeine and the rush costs of the dresses was nothing compared to the happiness that flowed through Marinette at having all of her partners stand by her.

After the phone call, and a lunch of fresh veggies and expertly cooked chicken, they had all separated into their individual corners, lost in thought and letting the cabin drop into silence. Whatever they were thinking now, none of them seemed ready to share, and they stayed apart for the duration of their flight home, driven to quiet by the weight of their own contemplations.

* * *

 _Meet me on our tower. Bring Alya._

Marinette showed both Alya and Chloe the cryptic text message that popped immediately onto her phone as the plane door opened in Paris. Quirking at eyebrow at Chloe, Marinette slid into the limo behind Alya. "Want to give him the surprise of a lifetime?" she teased, grabbing Chloe's wrist to pull her onto the seat.

Nervously, Chloe nodded, looking away to watch the city she had left behind loom before her.

* * *

"Shut up!" Chat Noir hissed, waving a hand toward his best friend who was standing behind a pillar refusing to stand still in the midst of his excitement.

"Duuuudddeeee, I can't!" Bouncing on his toes, Nino spun in a circle admiring his brand new purple super suit. "Are you kidding me? I'm supposed to be chill when my best friend tells me he is a superhero and then tells me I get to be one on the same day? There's no way, Adrien!" Spinning again, Nino missed Chat Noir smacking his palm to his forehead.

"This isn't going to work if you don't stop calling me Adrien!" Striding across the highest platform of the Eifel Tower, Chat Noir placed both of his hands on his newest teammate's shoulders and shook. "I promised Master Fu you could be cool about this. It is going to be up to the others if they want to tell you who they are, but I lived the life of a hidden hero for too many years and I don't want you to go through that. But!" Chat Noir shook the purple velvet shoulders again, "if you can't get a grip, I am sure there is a way for Fu to erase your memory!"

"Geez," Nino shrugged Chat Noir off of him, raising a hand to play with the edge of his own mask, "I thought Chat Noir was the fun one, not a stickler for rules like Ladybug or stuck up like Rena Rouge." Straightening his jacket, Nino laughed when Chat Noir pushed his shoulder.

It would be interesting to see Nino's reaction if either Ladybug or Rena decided to reveal themselves. His best friend had practically fainted when Adrien had transformed in front of him, and had been silent for almost thirty minutes as Adrien explained that Nino was going to get to join the famous team.

There had been a moment, when Nino had successfully survived his first transformation, that Adrien had almost regretted his own eagerness. Nooroo had seemed excited to see Nino again, and after several minutes of circular explanation, it had finally clicked for Nino why and how he already knew his kwami. Their connection had been instantaneous and Nooroo's happy expression had been enough to tell Adrien he was right to push for this.

Seeing Nino clad in the dark purple suit, cane twirling in his hand and dark mask pulled over his face had almost been too much though. Adrien had to forcibly control his breathing and remind himself that the moth miraculous was not dipped in evil and that the mistakes perpetrated with its powers were the result of his greedy father and not the miraculous itself. After a few minutes of repeatedly reminding himself of this, he had joined Nino in transforming, leading the way across Paris to their meeting spot on the Eifel Tower.

"You need a superhero name," Chat Noir said, ignoring Nino's criticisms, and stepping back to look over his best friend. "Something clever that people can call you."

"Oh," Nino said, a mischievous smirk spring to his lips, "like Ladybug and Chat Noir? Those names are certainly clever." He cackled as Chat Noir sprang toward him, both of them falling onto the platform and playfully wrestling like they had done in their somewhat younger years.

Rena was the first to spot the struggling pair on the metal platform and yelled to Ladybug and Bee as she changed direction and flashed downward, tackling the stranger who was attacking Chat Noir. Tossing him to the edge of the platform, she stalked toward him, flute spinning aggressively in her hand and she slinked slowly into his space.

"Yo! What the hell?" Nino threw his hands up, guarding his face with his cane. One minute he had been trying to tickle Chat Noir until he peed, and the next minute he was having all of his ribs shattered against a metal beam. If this was what being a superhero was about, maybe he didn't want to be a part of it.

"Rena, stop!" Chat Noir sprang toward Rena's back, the movement to his left catching his eye and throwing him off balance. Stumbling he stared at the black and yellow superhero, yipping when an arm came around his waist. Tail twitching, he looked up, grinning into the face of his very own soulmate. "Bugaboo! I missed you!" Forgetting the chaos of the last few seconds, Chat Noir threw himself into Ladybug's arms, feeling her giggles vibrate against his chest. Whatever heaviness had set in over the past day felt instantly dissolved as he wrapped her tightly to his chest, planting kisses across her cheeks and nose.

"Are they always like this?" Nino piped up from the ground, flinching again when Rena swung her flute within an inch of his face. "Geez, what the heck! I'm on your side, you maniac!" Scrambling to his feet, Nino fled to the other side of the platform, staring at Bee as he came to rest. "Um, where'd you come from?" Looking back toward Chat Noir, Nino shrugged his shoulders and jerked a thumb in Bee's direction. "I thought you lost this one."

It clicked in Chat Noir's mind that it was Bee standing on the platform and he grinned excitedly at Ladybug before releasing her to rush and hug their lost partner. Ladybug watched as Bee squeaked in surprise, seeing the relief wash over Bee's face as she was welcomed back with a spinning hug. "Want to fill me in on who this is?" Ladybug eyed the extra person on the platform, taking in the distinguished purple of the suit and the stiff line of the cane. He was a spitting image of Hawkmoth, with a few subtle differences, but he held none of the poise of Gabriel Agreste. Hearing a soft "dude" escape the newcomer's mouth, Ladybug had to hold back a snort when she realized who was behind the mask.

"I'm… uh…" Nino racked his brain for a clever name, blanking completely and blurting out, "I'm Le Papillon!"

"Hm, ok," Rena said, taking a step back into Le Papillon's space, "and you're one of us?" She eyed him carefully, and Ladybug wondered if Rena had already figured out that her boyfriend had finally joined their ranks.

"Yeah! I'm a good guy!" Flipping his cane in a circle, Le Papillon grinned when he caught it. "Now who is going to teach me how to use this thing?" Holding his cane with both hands, Le Papillon did a little dance in his spot. His silliness was enough to cement his fit with the team, and the rest of them laughed, gathering together to decide where they were headed next.

"Hey," Chat Noir whispered in Ladybug's ear. "We need to talk. Nothing bad. I love you."

"I love you too, chaton," Ladybug replied, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. She didn't know what he needed to say, but she knew what she didn't want to tell him. Letting herself be dragged into training their newest teammate, she prayed that she could find a way to avoid any serious discussions for as long as possible.


	6. Chapter 6

As it turned out, the last week before a wedding was a perfect excuse not to have time for serious conversations. Even with the team of people Gabriel had hired to help pull off the extravagant affair, Marinette still found herself racing between appointments and tying favors until the wee hours of every night.

Her seamstress had come through, creating two extra dresses which seamlessly matched with the red and black dress that Alya would be wearing. Originally Marinette had contemplated having every member of their wedding party in a different complimentary color palette, but her virtual rendition of their wedding party had left her gagging. She had settled for the black dresses with red accents and the black suits with green accents, smiling at the uniquely fitting color scheme.

She loved the aesthetic flare of the skirts of the girls' dresses, with the peekaboo hint of red at the neckline and at the bottom hem. It had been Alya's idea to wear red converse sneakers and Marinette had added to it by hooking a ladybug charm to each pair. It had taken an unmeasurable amount of effort to track down two extra sets of red shoes and an extra pair of green shoes for Plagg, but Marinette deemed the time spent completely worth it. Her wedding party was going to be fashionable and comfortable, and Marinette couldn't wait to see them all come together.

At Marinette's request, Chloe and Alya had accompanied her to the last fitting of her wedding dress. Standing in the full-length mirror, admiring the dress that had only been slightly modified from the one she wore in the photoshoot the year prior, Marinette had felt the reality of the day hitting her. Trying to suppress her tears, she turned to squeal with her friends, accepting their praise and excitement along with their exuberant hugs.

The entire week had been a whirlwind, and Adrien had been but a passing blur of quick kisses as they passed each other over dinner, and only seconds of cuddling before dropping off to sleep sometimes fully dressed on the top of Marinette's comforter. Skidding into Friday, they both felt disconnected, overwhelmed and drowned in excitement.

Adjusting the flower clip in her hair, Marinette took one last glance in the mirror. Their rehearsal dinner was tonight, and they had already survived the hilarity of their actual rehearsal earlier in the day. Gabriel had been alarmed by the addition of Plagg into the wedding party, muttering under his breath about the destruction of the wedding photos because of Plagg's hair and then abruptly looking like he was going to faint when Tikki appeared on the scene.

Refusing to go by any other name, Tikki introduced herself with quick hugs for everyone. Her hair was short and spikey, fire red everywhere except for the five black polka dots that were expertly placed throughout her spikes. Her big blue eyes were wide and stunning, blinking with a false innocence which charmed even the startled Gabriel. Her laughter was like music and her voice was as soft as a sonnet, and Marinette couldn't help her affectionate smile every time Tikki bounced her way. Tikki in human form was as beautifully wonderful as Tikki in kwami form, and Marinette couldn't believe how lucky she was to have a chance to experience it.

Smiling to herself, Marinette turned to retrieve her purse, jumping as her balcony doors flew open. Stepping back, her eyes went wide as an elegant figure dressed in blue glided into her room.

"Ladybug, I presume," the woman spoke with an aloof air, tilting her chin so she could examine Marinette over the tip of her nose.

Marinette would have recognized that look anywhere. She steeled herself against her own nerves and squared her shoulders to face the masked woman. "Lavande Agreste. I was wondering if you would show up." Her voice sounded more confident than she felt, and Marinette prayed that she could keep up her façade.

"A little bug said some very rude things to me," Lavande made her way further into the room, pausing to study the pictures hanging on Marinette's wall of her and Adrien. It was a collage of their entire relationship, including pictures from news articles of their superhero selves and the newest pictures from their engagement shoot. The pictures told the story of their love, and Marinette saw a hint of softness cross Lavande's face as she continued to run her fingers over each frame.

"I was angry," Marinette confessed, tossing her purse onto her desk and crossing her arms. "I should not have been rude to you, but I meant what I said. If you can't be the person he thinks you are, you shouldn't be a part of his world." She leveled her eyes at the back of Lavande's head, holding her stare steady when Lavande turned around.

"I don't know if I can be the person Adrien remembers." The admission was quieter, with a hint of defeat seeping into the words. "I have had to protect my heart for so long, I don't know if it remembers how to love anymore." Clasping her gloved hands together, Lavande peered at Marinette from behind her blue mask. "Duusuu, my kwami," Lavande clarified noting Marinette's confused look, "she was surprised that I was willing to come at all." Soothing the feathers on her gown, Lavande took a deep breath. "You don't know what Adrien's father is capable of, what he wanted to do. I couldn't stay here for that and I couldn't take Adrien with me. I knew Adrien was destined to become a holder himself, how could he not with two holders as parents, but I never imagined Fu would give him Plagg. I never imagine Fu would put a target on his back like that." Brow furrowed, Lavande glared at the ground with her fists clenching.

The anger that flared on Lavande's face made Marinette nervous and she glanced to her purse wishing that Tikki was in there instead of downstairs helping her father make last minute adjustments to the wedding cake. Cautiously, Marinette took a deep breath. "I suppose you mean that Mr. Agreste went from hero to villain," waiting for Lavande to acknowledge her words which she did with a small nod, Marinette continued. "He gave up his miraculous, willingly, a year ago." She saw the change in Lavande's facial expression as she pressed on. "He gave it up the day that Adrien asked me to marry him, in a restaurant in Italy with cherubs dancing on columns and a sky-blue ceiling." Unwinding the chain from around her neck, Marinette held out the flower pendent. "Gabriel gave me this before Adrien proposed. Even then I could tell how special it was to him. For all of his mistakes, he never stopped loving you. They never stopped wanting you back."

A single tear rolled down Lavande's cheek. Her breath hitched as she kept her eyes trained on the ground. "I… that was not what I was expecting." She didn't look up at Marinette, instead she turned toward the balcony doors, moving through them to stand at the threshold. "Thank you, Ladybug," Lavande whispered, disappearing into the night without looking back.

Unsure of what to think, Marinette slid the necklace back around her neck and headed downstairs to leave for her rehearsal dinner.

* * *

"This," Plagg said raising a hand to motion toward Adrien, "is the definition of nervous." Laughing, Plagg nudged Nino, both of them diving to opposite ends of the couch as Adrien threw an apple between them. Dramatically, Plagg plucked the fruit from the couch cushion and took a loud bite. "Seriously, human mouths, what a gift!" Crunching a second time into the apple, he winked at Nino as he kicked out at Adrien.

"Stop!" Adrien snapped, kicking back at Plagg as he completed another line down the center of the room. He had been pacing for a solid ten minutes, nerves building inside of him and making him fidget to the point that he couldn't sit still. All of the worst-case scenarios had collided in his brain, creating a dumpster fire of every absurd disruption that could possibly happen which would prevent Marinette from becoming his wife. Growling as Nino tossed a balled tissue at his head, Adrien went to dive at his best friend, hoping that strangling Nino might work off his nervous energy.

"Ahem." Gabriel Agreste stood at the door to changing room, suit matching the rest of the wedding party while his disapproving frown was a direct contrast to the guilty smiles of the other two groomsmen. Clearing his throat again, Gabriel gave Nino and Plagg stern looks. "Please give me a moment alone with my son."

Plagg and Nino scrambled to their feet, tripping over each other as they made their way out of the room, whispering good luck wishes to Adrien as they made their escape. As the door clicked shut behind them, Adrien launched himself into his father's arms. "Dad, I'm going to die." He was trembling with his anxiety as his father began to chuckle.

"I prefer Dad to Father, by the way," Gabriel smiled at his son as he pushed Adrien back onto his own two feet. "You aren't going to die. You're nervous, and that's perfectly normal." Taking Adrien by the shoulders, Gabriel straightened his posture and then set to work on fixing Adrien's tie. "Before you do this," avoiding eye contact, Gabriel yanked on Adrien's shirt sleeves, aligning them flawlessly with the edge of his jacket sleeves, "I need to talk to you. You said something last weekend and it has been festering in my mind. I would prefer you go into your marriage without secrets, with Marinette or with me. I would hope that today would be a starting point, a rebuilding point if you will." Swallowing hard, Gabriel finally looked at Adrien, resting both of his hands on his son's shoulders.

"You were Hawkmoth," Adrien blurted out, seeing the pink dust over his father's cheeks, "but you aren't now. Someone else has Nooroo and he is safe. All I want to know is why. Why did you do it and why did you give Nooroo up. If you answer those two questions, truthfully, maybe we can move past it. Although, it's not every day that a father tries to kill his son over a ring." Adrien smiled to make sure his father knew he was kidding.

Scoffing, Gabriel shook his head. "I didn't want to kill you per say. I mean not as Chat Noir… as Adrien… maybe sometimes." Gabriel shook Adrien's shoulders back and forth, both of them nervously laughing. "I thought that getting the miraculouses would bring your mom back. She didn't like that I was obsessed with them. I wanted to understand their power, I dreamed of someday replacing Fu as the guardian of them all. In my misguided and grief driven mind, I was convinced she would come back if I achieved my goal. It took me a long time to realize that my obsession was what drove her away." Gauging Adrien's reactions, Gabriel paused only briefly to sort out his words.

"The day that you and Marinette were engaged, Fu was there. I said my goodbyes to Nooroo and gave him back to Fu. I spent so many years blinded by my own grief and loss that I forgot that I still had the greatest source of love in the world. I had you." Ruffling his fingers through Adrien's hair, Gabriel swallowed again to try to control his emotional reaction. "I gave up grieving for my past that day and decided that your future was more important. I'm sorry for all the wrong I have done. I will make it up to you and spend the rest of my life doing better, if you'll let me."

"Yeah," Adrien breathed, leaping forward to hug his dad tightly. He felt the sob catch in his throat and buried his face in his father's chest. He felt five years old again, scared of the clown on television and hiding in his father's arms. He remembered being ten years old, anxious about his first photoshoot and his father carrying him piggy back style through the park to chase away his nerves. The hug on the airplane on the way to Italy last year, and Gabriel straightening Adrien's tie in the hotel before the dinner where he asked Marinette to marry him. Every good memory came flooding back, washing away the pain of the last six years. Clinging tightly, Adrien whispered, "I forgive you. I love you."

Finally letting his own tears fall, Gabriel hugged his son close. "I love you too, son." Kissing the top of Adrien's head, Gabriel pulled back slightly. "Now, that's go get you married to the love of your life, shall we?" Wiping a hand over his own face, Gabriel smiled at Adrien who mirrored the motion.

Neither of them noticed the blue figure, crouching outside of the window, shedding tears of her own.

* * *

"You look beautiful, girl!" Alya touched the flowers in Marinette's hair, wrapping an arm around Marinette's shoulders and holding her phone out. "Say Camembert!"

Giggling, Marinette looked up at Alya's phone, tilting her head closer to her best friend. There would be plenty of professional pictures to choose from after the ceremony, but Marinette would never deny Alya the opportunity of a well-positioned selfie. After the first shutter click, Tikki and Chloe leaned in behind them, all four of them sticking their tongues out for the camera.

The wedding planner clapped her hands signaling it was time to line up for the processional. The three bridesmaids would walk the aisle first, each of them meeting their partners at the top of the stairs outside. Marinette's father was also waiting at the top of the stairs, an adorably nervous mess according her to mother.

Listening to the music begin, Marinette watched each of her friends disappear out of the open door. The timing of the entries were designed to give Marinette a minute alone before making her way down the aisle. Closing her eyes to listen to the first song guide her friends down the aisle, she jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Lavande said, her face bare to the world without the covering of her mask, "I didn't mean to startle you." Her voice was gentle, the coldness thawed from it and leaving behind the voice that Adrien must associate with his mother. It hummed with caring and softness and Marinette instinctively began to relax. "I wanted to give you something." Using both hands, Lavande unpinned the peacock from the front of her shirt. "May I?" She nodded towards Marinette's bouquet, moving to pin the brooch to it following Marinette's nod. "It is blue and very old," Lavande's fingers lingered for a moment on the brooch before pulling her hand away, "you may choose to keep it or return it to Fu. I leave the decision in your very capable hands." Touching Marinette's cheek, Lavande leaned forward and pressed a tender kiss to Marinette's forehead. "Please take care of them for me."

It took Marinette a second to register that Lavande was leaving. Spinning, she felt her dress twist around her legs as she tried to catch Lavande's arm. "You could stay, you know," Marinette spoke with a hint of desperation, feeling as if she would lose Lavande forever if she let her walk out now. "They'll forgive you, they'll love you again, I know they will."

A sad smile parted over Lavande's face. "Maybe so," she whispered, not turning around to look at Marinette, "but today is about you and Adrien, not about me. It is time that I stop being selfish with my life. If someday you want to come looking for me again, you'll know where to find me."

Hearing the music change over to the song that would carry Marinette down the aisle, she silently watched as Lavande stepped through the door and away from the ceremony. Telling herself that she would find her again, Marinette refocused on her own path, carefully maneuvering her skirt to start her own walk down the aisle.

* * *

"Wife," Adrien whispered against her ear, making Marinette giggle as they twirled across the dance floor. "I love youuuu." Adrien teased, kissing her cheek and then trailing another kiss across her jawline. He was feeling elated and slightly tipsy, and the absolute happiest he had ever been in his entire life.

Everything had been perfect. Marinette had appeared at the top of the aisle, a vision in white and flowers making Adrien's heart stop beating in his chest. The whole world narrowed to her beautiful face, and the sounds of everything else fell away. So much so that when Marinette's father wished Adrien good luck, he responded "you too!" making the entire crowd laugh at his response. His face had blazed red, but Marinette had kissed both of his cheeks and everything had instantly felt better in the world.

Their vows were simple and sweet, a mix up of cultural and family traditions that they had crafted themselves. When they had each recited their token line, "I promise to love you through the good and the bad, the high and the low, and all the crazy in between, and to be miraculously yours for all of the days we are gifted on this earth," laughter had broken out through the bridal party as Plagg whispered, "real subtle, guys."

Then they were husband and wife, kissing in front of all their families, friends, and Gabriel Agreste's very important people. Adrien only recognized the faces of the first four lines of guests and he couldn't even bother to care. He had managed to marry the woman of his dreams, fulfilling a promise he had made himself at fifteen years old.

"I'm so happy," Adrien whispered against Marinette's lips, pulling her tighter to him as they kissed in the middle of the dance floor, "you are my lucky charm, m'lady, everything wonderful in my life is because of you."

"And you, my husband," Marinette squeaked on the last word, cheeks burning from smiling so much, "you are my silly kitty, the reason I laugh, the person who keeps me alive, and my partner in all things. I love you." Pulling him down by both cheeks, Marinette kissed Adrien as the cheers rang out all around them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Epilogue :)**

 **If you want to chat with me about this story, I am on tumblr as n3rdlif343va or Twitter as nerdlife4eva. I hope you will give my other stories a chance! Thank you for reading!**

* * *

"I find it hilarious that you of all people decided that we needed a second honeymoon," Adrien sat in the passenger seat of their rental car, fingers playing with the tips of Marinette's hair as she drove down the dirt path. "How did you even find this path anyway? It wasn't on any of the hiking sites that I found." Adrien hummed to himself, looking out the window at the tall dense trees.

"Oh," Marinette remarked, cheeks turning red as she tightened her grip on the steering wheel, "when we were here for my bachelorette party, we came out here. It is a little out of the way, but totally worth it. I promise." Glancing toward Adrien, Marinette eased the car further down the path. "You love me, right?" The question was hesitant, her lower lip disappearing into the assaulting grip of her teeth.

"More than anyone or anything in this world," Adrien shifted to smile at her, leaning across the gear shift to kiss her cheek. "As long as you aren't bringing me all the way out here to murder me and ditch my body," he laughed at his own joke, poking Marinette's cheek when she rolled her eyes.

"No murder planned," flicking her eyes toward him, she smirked, "yet."

"Oh, my wife, I might be a domesticated cat now, but I can still take you," pulling his hands up in front of his face, Adrien landed a light punch to the dashboard of the car, making Marinette giggle. Raising his hand, Adrien paused as a building to his right caught his attention. "Wait, who would have a house all the way out here?"

Pulling the car in front of the small house surrounded by dense trees, Marinette cut the engine as the front door opened. A blond woman looking nervously out into the world waved a self-conscious hand in their direction.

"Marinette," Adrien couldn't breathe. He had dreamed of this moment every day since he had woken up to find his mother gone. Pressing his knuckles into his eyes, he shook his head before looking up again. "This is real? You found her?" Twisting in his seat, Adrien looked hopefully to Marinette who slowly nodded. Unclipping his seatbelt he launched out of his seat, tackling her in a bruising hug.

The reunion wouldn't be simple, they both knew that as they disentangled themselves and stepped out of the car. But if they had learned anything over their time together, it was that nothing worthwhile ever was.

Linking hands, Marinette and Adrien took their first steps toward their next adventure.


End file.
